BASKETBALL
Former Razorbacks to speak at Tip Off Club
Former Arkansas Razorbacks Marcus Monk, Pat Bradley and Blake Eddins will be the guest speakers today at the Downtown Tip Off Club at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock.
Lunch will be served at 11:15 a.m. and the program will begin at noon. Admission is $15 for members and $25 for non-members.
Hendrix wins SAA tournament
The Hendrix men’s basketball team was on a nine-game losing streak three weeks ago. On Sunday, the Warriors clinched a berth in their first NCAA Division III Tournament since 1996.
Hank Aldous scored 32 points, Luke Vance added 23 and Hendrix beat Rhodes College 73-70 in the final of the Southern Athletic Association Tournament in Memphis, capping a string of three victories in three days, all of which came by three points or less.
Hendrix (12-16), which was 6-15 and 1-9 in the SAA on Feb. 8, won three of its last four regular-season games entering Friday’s tournament opener. The Warriors beat Sewanee 73-71 in the first round, Centre 55-53 in Saturday’s semifinal then held on Sunday against No. 1 seed Rhodes (20-7).
Aldous’ layup with 1:45 left in the championship game gave Hendrix a lead it never relinquished. Vance was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
The Division III tournament will be unveiled at 11:30 a.m. today.
BASEBALL
Central Arkansas tops Missouri State
Central Arkansas scored twice in the top of the seventh to beat Missouri State 6-4 in a rain-shortened, seven-inning game at Natchitoches, La.
Tied 4-4 through six innings, Nate Ferrell hit a two-run home run scoring Braxton Phillips, who led off with a walk. Closer Dan Beier worked around a one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh to earn his first victory of the season.
UCA (4-3) took a 4-3 lead in the top of the sixth when Matt Anderson led off with a home run to right-center field. Missouri State (6-3) tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on Jake Burger’s double.
Anderson led the Bears by going 3 for 4 with an RBI and scored two runs. Logan Preston went 2 for 3, scored 1 run and had 1 RBI. Beier picked up the victory, pitching the last 2 1/3 innings, allowing 1 earned run and walking 4.
The Bears plays at Missouri on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Harding falls to St. Cloud State
St. Cloud State (5-0) had 16 hits, including nine from its top three hitters in the lineup in an 8-4 victory over Harding on Sunday in Searcy.
Brandon Arnold, who went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI, broke open a 3-2 game in the sixth inning with a bases-loaded double to make it 6-2. Michael Jurgella added a two-run home run in the eighth to make it 8-2.
Harding (5-10) scored twice in the ninth and had the tying run on deck when the game ended.
SOFTBALL
Arkansas goes 5-0 in Louisiana
Arkansas finished the Lion Classic with a 5-0 record at the Lion Classic Stampede in Hammond, La., after beating Southeast Missouri State 5-2 Sunday morning.
Haley Meinen pitched four innings in relief of Sydney Wright to earn the victory for the Razorbacks (12-7). Devon Wallace led the Razorbacks by going 4 for 4 with 1 RBI. Kasey Fagan went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI. Meinen went 2 for 2, scored 2 runs and Autumn Russell went 2 for 3 and scored 2 runs.
UCA defeats Radford
Kylee Studioso allowed 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 14 in a 6-1 victory over Radford on Sunday in Clearwater, Fla.
The Bears broke the game open in the fifth inning by scoring 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 errors. Audrey Pratt hit a double to left-center field to Sarah Bigej. Hannah Sirton scored on an errant throw and pinch hitter Bailey Reynolds singled to left to score Pratt.
The Bears (10-6) host Lyon Collage at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
SAU tops OBU
Southern Arkansas defeated Ouachita Baptist 8-7 on Sunday at Lady Mulerider Field in Magnolia.
The Lady Muleriders broke the game open in the sixth, scoring 7 runs with 2 out, taking advantage of 5 walks, a hit by pitch and a wild pitch to lead 8-4.
Jami Godwin started and was relieved by Abby Weaver in the sixth inning, but returned in the seventh inning to stop a Ouachita Baptist rally when the Lady Tigers scored three times to close it to 8-7. Godwin induced a fly ball for the game’s last out.
Summer Ehrig led the Lady Muleriders with 2 hits and 2 RBI. Chelsea Ivy scored twice and had two RBI. Maddie Dow walked three times while Taylor Guin and Ashton Atwell had two walks.