Keaton Presley Archives - ArkansasSports.Net

Bears complete sweep with two Saturday wins

ASN — Sun, 18 Mar 2018 04:23:44 +0000

UCA Sports
Steve East, Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations

CONWAY – The University of Central Arkansas Bears got an RBI single by senior Rigo Aguilar in the eighth inning to earn a 6-5 victory over Incarnate Word on Saturday night and sweep the Cardinals 3-0 in Southland Conference action at Bear Stadium.

UCA took the opener of the doubleheader 8-3 behind a 3-for-3 performance from Aguilar, a senior third baseman.

UCA (12-8, 4-2) improved to 5-0 on its current homestand and won its ninth straight home game and its 10th of the past 11 at Bear Stadium. UIW dropped to 13-9 and 3-3 after Saturday’s two losses.

The Bears led 5-1 through seven innings of Game 2, riding the arm of junior starter Cody Davenport, who went 7 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and just one earned run while striking out five. But the Cardinals, who swept Abilene Christian last weekend, put up four runs in the eighth inning to tie it at 5-5.

UCA responded in the bottom of the eighth when catcher William Hancock had a one-out base hit up the middle and advanced to second base on a throwing error by UIW pitcher Jenner Jackson on a pickoff attempt. Senior Michael Haun came in to pinch run for Hancock and scored the game-winning run when Rigo Aguilar singled up the middle.

The Cardinals got their first batter on base in the top of the ninth against UCA closer Mark Moyer but he struck out Kyle Bergeron and catcher Justin McCarty threw out Eddie Gonzalez attemping to steal second on the same play. Moyer then struck out designated hitter Lee Thomas to earn the victory and improve to 4-2 on the season.

Senior center fielder Keaton Presley hit a pair of doubles, including a two-run double in the fifth, and finished 3 for 4 with 3 RBI. Josh Somdecerff went 2 for 4 with 2 run scored as UCA finished with 12 hits.

In the opener, the Bears broke open a 4-3 game with a four-run seventh inning to back the start of junior Tanner Wiley (1-0), who went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two earned runs. Junior Tyler Smith and senior center fielder Keaton Presley both had two hits and two RBI, with Presley hitting his team-high fourth home run in the sixth inning.

In the seventh, UCA got a leadoff single by Aguilar and a UIW error on T.J. Black’s ground ball put runners at first and second with no outs. Hunter Strong’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away by the UIW pitcher, allowing Aguilar to score the first run. Smith added a two-run single to left center to make it 7-3 before Presley doubled in the final run.

Sophomore Ross Rogers got his first save, pitching the final 2 2/3 innings, striking out two and allowing just one hit.

UCA hosts Big 12 Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. Tuesday before hitting the road next weekend for an SLC series at New Orleans.

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Bears blast Delta Devils behind 18 hits

ASN — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 13:12:57 +0000

UCA Sports
Steve East, Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations

CONWAY – The University of Central Arkansas Bears turned 18 hits into 19 runs in a 19-4 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday night at Bear Stadium.

UCA scored at least three runs in four different innings and took advantage of five MVSU errors to improve to 5-6 overall. The teams will meet again at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

The Bears trailed 2-0 after the top of the first but scored one run in the second, then exploded for five in the third and never trailed again. Four UCA pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts, led by freshman reliever Logan Gilbertson (1-0) who had six, and sophomore starter Kaleb Schmidt who had four.

Junior left fielder Hunter Strong had a two-run home run for the Bears, who had six extra-base hits and left 11 runners on base. Junior second baseman T.J. Black was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored, while junior designated hitter Brett D’Amico went 3 for 5 and scored twice. Senior right fielder Dusty Wright was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI and a run scored and senior third baseman Rigo Aguilar was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs.

Keaton Presley and Josh Somdecerff both added two RBI as UCA finished with a season-high 17.

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UCA sweeps doubleheader with Northwestern State to take series

ASN — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 21:22:49 +0000

UCA Sports
Steve East, Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations

NATCHITOCHES, La. – The University of Central Arkansas Bears won their second consecutive Southland Conference series on Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader from Northwestern State 9-3 and 1-0 at Brown-Stroud Field.

UCA (15-15, 5-7) used a three-run home run from junior Keaton Presley in the second inning to eventually grab a 9-0 lead in the opener to back starter Cody Davenport (2-0). Davenport scattered three hits over six innings and struck out five. Will Brand pitched the final three innings, allowing three runs but still picked up his first save of the season.

The Bears opened up a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Presley doubled down the left-field line, moved to third on Jansen McCurdy’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Hunter Strong’s sacrifice fly. UCA’s fourth run in the second came on another sacrifice fly by Michael Haun.

UCA added four more runs in the fourth inning on five hits, including a two-run triple by McCurdy, and RBI single by Strong and an RBI double by William Hancock. Presley finished 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI, while Strong was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Right fielder Dusty Wright was also 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Game 2 was a pitching duel, won by the combination of redshirt freshman Mark Moyer and junior Ty Tice. Moyer went seven innings, striking out 5 and allowing just 4 hits. Tice tossed the final two scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit and recording 1 strikeout.

The Bears got the only run they would need in the sixth inning against NSU starter Evan Tidwell, who went the distance. McCurdy drew a one-out walk and went to third on Strong’s single up the middle. Rigo Aguilar laid down a safety squeeze bunt that NSU first baseman David Fry fielded and threw into right field, allowing McCurdy to score the game’s only run.

UCA won with only four hits, with Strong picking up two of them.

The Bears are off until next weekend when they face the Houston Baptist Huskies in Houston.

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