Echo Sports

The UCA Bears baseball team made it three straight over the Ouachita Baptist Tigers on Sunday, winning 9-2 in the Gulf South Conference series finale at Rab Rodgers Field.

The Bears (19-17, 8-4) totaled 16 hits and starter Jeremy Mason went six strong innings as the Bears won their fourth consecutive game. Mason allowed eight hits and two runs in six innings and got scoreless relief from Dustin Johnson (one inning) and Zach Barnett (two innings).

OBU (10-18, 0-9) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first but the Bears answered quickly and decisively with five runs in the top of the second. Bubba Dickens doubled to lead off the inning and was bunted to third. Roger Lenderman grounded out to score Dickens.

Robbie Nix then singled to left and back-to-back bunt singles by Drew Sadler and Barrett Ward preceded a two-run single by Wes Sanford. Zak Clark then doubled to score two more and make it 5-1.

Nix added a sacrifice fly in the third inning and Sanford singled in another run in the fifth. He finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs for the Bears. OBU added its second run in the fifth but UCA responded with an RBI double by freshman Leighton Hardin and a run-scoring single by Ward in the seventh.

Ward, Clark and Nix all had two hits each, while Clark also had two RBIs. Johnson allowed the only OBU hit in the final three innings, while Barnett threw a perfect eighth and ninth, striking out two.

On Saturday UCA got complete games on the mound from seniors Drew Parr and Clark to record a doubleheader sweep of OBU on Saturday, winning 8-2 and 10-1.

Parr went the distance in the opener, throwing nine innings of five-hit ball, striking out a season-high 12 and walking just two. He allowed two runs in the sixth but cruised through the rest of the game.

The Bears finally broke open a scoreless game in the sixth when Clark and junior Brian Post had back-to-back doubles. OBU answered with its only two runs in the bottom of the inning on a pair of groundouts.

UCA took the lead for good in the seventh when a Sadler ground ball was misplayed, scoring Lenderman. After a bunt single by Ward, Sanford followed with an RBI single to center to bring in Sadler.

The Bears put it out of reach in the eighth with four runs, with Ward contributing a sacrifice fly and Sanford and Clark adding RBI singles.

Parr closed it out in the ninth with a strikeout and, after a base hit, got a ground-ball double play.

Sanford finished 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs, while Dickens was 3 for 5 and Clark and Ward both had two hits each.

In the nightcap, Clark, in his first start this season, did not allow an OBU hit until the fourth inning and gave up only five hits for the game. He struck out seven and did not allow a run until the bottom of the seventh when Ben Nuetzler struck out but reached first on a passed ball and later scored.

The Bears got home runs from Ward and freshman Matt Warren and totaled 11 hits off three OBU pitchers. Warren finished 2 for 3 with 3 RBI, while Post was 3 for 4 and Clark went 2 for 4 as the designated hitter.