UCA takes care of UAPB in marathon game

By Jay Lupo/Of The Commercial Staff

Central Arkansas was not the remedy Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s struggling pitching staff was looking for.

UAPB entered the game with an 11.11 earned run average, and that statistic most definitely went up after Wednesday’s 28-11 Bears’ victory over the Golden Lions at Taylor Field in a 4:15 marathon.

Eight UAPB pitchers combined to give up 28 runs on 28 hits in nine innings. The Golden Lions, who’ve lost nine of their last 11 games since staff ace Justin Moring went down with an injury, have now surrendered 98 runs in their last five games.

Former Watson Chapel product and Central Arkansas freshman Reece Cross earned the victory on the mound for the Bears. Cross gave up one run on two hits in two innings Wednesday.

The Lions (4-16) took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Reggie Barker doubled and came home on an RBI single by Gvona Turner. Turner, a freshman from Crossett, then scored on a Marcus Rodgers fielder’s choice to give UAPB a 2-1 lead.

The momentum was short-lived, however.

UCA (12-12) scored five runs in the top half of the second to take a 6-2 lead it would never come close to giving up the rest of the way. The Bears scored twice in the fourth and, behind the strength of Eric Tennyson’s grand slam home run, added six runs in the fifth to officially put the game out of reach.

Joe Cook took the loss for UAPB. He pitched the first 1 and 1/3 innings and gave up six runs — four earned — on three hits with four walks.

Justin Clark relieved Cook in the second and pitched well. He gave up just one run on three hits with no walks in 2 and 1/3 innings.

Jerome McCollum, who entered Wednesday’s contest hitting at a .309 clip, led UAPB’s offense with a 4-for-6 performance. B.J. McDonley was 2-for-2 with four RBI and Turner was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Rashaad Billingsley added a solo home run for the Lions.

Tennyson was UCA’s star on Wednesday despite entering the contest with an .063 batting average. The sophomore catcher from Harrison was 5-for-6 with five RBI, including a grand slam home run.

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Two former Pine Bluff area athletes were in action for UCA on Wednesday at Taylor Field.

Former Watson Chapel ace Reece Cross overcame a rough start to have a decent outing and earn the win while former White Hall outfielder Tye Throneberry started in left field for the Bears.

Cross came on in the second inning and immediately surrendered a solo home run to Rashaad Billingsley. He hit former teammate Trey Austin in the next at-bat but retired five of the next eight batters he faced and didn’t give up another run. Cross allowed one run on two hits to go along with three walks and a strikeout in two innings.

Throneberry, who entered the game hitting .304, led off for UCA but had a less-than-ceremonious return to Taylor Field, his old stomping grounds from his days on Simmons First National Bank’s American Legion Team.

Throneberry popped out to the catcher to start the game and struck out in his next and only other at-bat.

He also had his struggles in the field. Throneberry booted a single by Gvona Turner in the opening inning that allowed Turner to move to second base. He eventually scored.