CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas out-dueled Southeastern Louisiana for the second time in as many games Saturday, hanging on for a 2-1 Southland Conference win at Bear Stadium.
 
UCA (7-7, 2-0 Southland) starting pitcher Noah Cameron (1-1) worked in-and-out of trouble all game as the Lions (5-9, 0-2 Southland) put the leadoff hitter aboard in six of the first seven innings.
 
Southeastern fell behind by two runs in the third. The Bears led off the inning with a double to left field, ticking off the out-stretched glove of left fielder Christian Garcia who had stumbled on the play. A one-out single up the middle by Beau Orlando drove in the first run. Orlando later scored on a two-out double by center fielder Josh Ragan.
 
Grant Upton (1-1) and reliever Noah Hughes pitched out of tight jams, keeping the game close.
 
The Lions finally broke through against Cameron in the sixth. Tyler Finke led off the inning with a single to center field, advancing to second base on a groundout. Jacob Burke wore an inside pitch off the inner thigh, putting runners at first and second. Garcia cut the deficit in half with a two-out blooper to left field, plating Finke.
 
Southeastern drove Cameron out of the game with a high pitch count after seven, but reliever Conner Williams shut the door with a pair of perfect innings to close it out.
 
Cameron earned the win, allowing one run in seven innings. He scattered six hits and one walk, striking out 10 batters. Williams earned his sixth save of the season, striking out three in a two-inning stint. Upton was the hard-luck loser, allowing two runs in 6.2 innings of work. He surrendered seven hits and a pair of walks, striking out five.
 
UP NEXT
The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. Southeastern has yet to announce a starting pitcher for the finale, but the Bears are slated to send out righty Mark Moyer (2-0, 3.86).
 
The finale can be heard in the Hammond area on the flagship station of the Southeastern Sports Radio Network – KSLU 90.9 FM – in addition to online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via both the Lions Gameday Experience and TuneIn Radio apps.
 
Other options to follow the action include a video stream provided by Central Arkansas, live statistics or the @LionUpBaseball Twitter account. Links to audio, video and stats are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.
 
DIAMOND CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the baseball program are encouraged to join the Diamond Club. Lion baseball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Diamond Club and S Club (baseball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern baseball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
  
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lions Baseball, follow @LionUpBaseball or @MattRiser17 on Twitter, @LionUpBaseball on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.