FORT SMITH, Ark. - University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Baseball split a doubleheader Friday against William Jewell at Crowder Field, falling in the opener, 3-2, before bouncing back, 4-3, in the nightcap.
The teams will conclude the series at 2 p.m. Saturday.
William Jewell 3, UAFS 2 (8 inn.)
The Cardinals (1-1) scratched across a run in the top of the eighth after a leadoff single came around to score after wild pitch, groundout and sacrifice fly to take the opener.
UAFS (5-4) went down in order in the bottom of the frame.
William Jewell tallied four of their seven hits in the first inning, pushing across a run before starter Brayden Ross settled in and kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard for the next four frames without recording a hit.
The Lions tied the game in the bottom of the third when infielder Noah Davis delivered an RBI single to right, then took the lead in the fifth after scoring on a double play.
The Cardinals evened the game up in the sixth on a one-out single to leave Ross with a no-decision. Ross finished with seven innings pitched and allowed two runs on six hits with nine punchouts.
Davis led the Lions at the plate with two hits.
UAFS 4, William Jewell 3
Starter Grant Shankle matched Ross' seven innings in a complete game effort, as he allowed three runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts.
After cruising through the first three frames, Shankle surrendered three runs in the top of the fourth. But the Lion offense answered with three runs of its own, as the first four batters reached with infielder Matt Schilling driving in the first run with an infield single.
Infielder Jordon Helm drove in a run with a bases loaded walk before outfielder Randon Ray tied the game with an RBI groundout.
The Lions then took the lead in the fifth after outfielder Sammy Seeger drove in outfielder Cooper White with another infield single. White went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored.
Shankle got out of a jam in each of the sixth and seventh innings, striking out two to end the game after a one-out double.
