Baseball
Bears fall short in 8-7 thriller against North Alabama in ASUN series opener
Bears nearly staged a comeback but fell 8-7 to North Alabama, despite Preston Curtis’s five-RBI performance in Conway
Central Arkansas opened their final ASUN Conference series of the 2025 regular season with a narrow 8-7 defeat to the North Alabama Lions on Thursday night at Bear Stadium in Conway.
CONWAY, Ark. — The game was as much about the action on the field as it was about honoring a legacy off it, as the Bears paid tribute to sports information director Steve East, who is retiring after a 31-year career with the university.
The Bears (19-31, 13-16 ASUN) came out swinging, notching four extra-base hits, including home runs from Keon Moseni and Preston Curtis.
Curtis was the standout for UCA, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and five RBIs, almost single-handedly keeping the Bears in contention throughout the night.
UCA jumped ahead in the second inning after Tanner Leonard singled up the middle and stole second.
Zeb Allen was hit by a pitch, and with two outs, Curtis delivered a clutch double to the left field corner, scoring both runners for an early 2-0 lead.
But North Alabama responded with a five-run rally in the top of the second, capitalizing on two-out opportunities to seize momentum.
Moseni brought the Bears back within reach in the bottom of the second, launching a two-run homer over the right field fence.
The Lions, however, extended their lead with two more runs in the third, aided by a costly throwing error from UCA.
UNA’s offense was powered by Jayden Sloan’s three-hit night and Petey Craska’s three RBIs, including his fourth home run of the season.
The middle innings saw both teams struggle to generate offense, but Curtis reignited the Bears’ hopes in the sixth with his seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot that cut the deficit to 7-6.
Freshman Nathan Negre added excitement in the eighth, legging out his fourth triple of the year and scoring on a sacrifice fly to bring the Bears within one.
Despite a tense ninth inning, UCA could not complete the comeback, flying out to end the game.
After the game, Bears coach Nick Harlan praised his team’s resilience.
“We battled all night and gave ourselves a chance,” Harlan said. “Preston [Curtis] had a huge performance, and our guys kept fighting until the last out. We’ll regroup and get ready for tomorrow.”
UCA’s loss was a historic win for North Alabama, marking their first victory in Conway and securing the third seed in the upcoming ASUN Tournament.
Eight of the nine starting Lions recorded a hit, while the Bears’ offensive highlights were overshadowed by missed opportunities and defensive miscues.
The Bears and Lions will meet again for game two of the series, as both teams look to finish the regular season strong and build momentum heading into the postseason.
