A rough second inning spoiled the first home game of the season for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff softball team.
Southeast Missouri State beat UAPB 13-0 in five innings Wednesday at the Torii Hunter Softball Complex in Pine Bluff.
UAPB (3-14) coach Michael Bumpers said the Lady Lions’ pitchers had too many off-target pitches.
“We had a game plan on what we’re to do and how we’re gonna pitch them, but if you miss your spots, a good hitting team like that, you know they’re going to swing the bat,” Bumpers said. “They been swinging the bat well all year. We just missed a lot of spots, and they took full advantage of those missed spots.”
SEMO (9-9) led 1-0 after the first inning but blew the game open with an 8-run second. The Redhawks sent 12 batters to the plate and tallied six hits, including a 3-run home run from catcher Gracie Luna. One UAPB error aided SEMO, especially with the homer coming with two outs.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB starting pitcher Heidi Price (0-4) exited with one out in the second inning. She allowed 7 runs, 6 of them earned, on six hits and a walk with one strikeout. Danika Bryant pitched the next 2 2/3 innings before Traelen Humphrey got the final two outs in the fifth.
SEMO starter Willow Van Haren (2-0) pitched three shutout innings, allowing five hits and a walk with one strikeout. Relief pitcher Tegan Livesay allowed one UAPB base runner in the final two innings.
Bumpers said the Lady Lions haven’t figured things out at the plate yet this season.
“We gotta find something, dig deep,” Bumpers said. “Once we get runners in scoring position, we need to be sure that we’re getting those runners home. Right now, we collectively are not getting the runners in, and certain things that we’ve been working on is just not transpiring from here to the game.”
Once the game got out of hand, both teams emptied their benches. UAPB had 15 players make a plate appearance, while SEMO had 14.
No UAPB player had more than one hit. Luna and first baseman Hailey Burnett led the SEMO offense. Luna hit 3 for 4 with 4 RBI and 2 runs, while Burnett hit 3 for 3 with an RBI and 2 runs.
This was the fourth game in three days for UAPB. The Lady Lions opened SWAC play in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, against Southern, playing twice Monday and once Tuesday before returning home.
Bumpers said the Lady Lions returned to Pine Bluff around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night, and some of the players had midterms Wednesday morning before the game.
“It kind of wears on them a little bit,” Bumpers said. “A team like Southeast Missouri, they’re on spring break. So, they’re really loose. … It just seemed like we came out super flat today. I didn’t think it was going to be that bad, but the showing was on the field.”
UAPB will return to action Sunday in the Lady Lions’ first SWAC home series of the season against Grambling State. UAPB and the Lady Tigers will play a doubleheader Sunday and a single game Monday in Pine Bluff.