BATS QUIETED IN SERIES-OPENING LOSS AT UCA

Friday, February 27

Conway, Ark.

3 p.m.

South Dakota State University

3-6

Central Arkansas

6-4

South Dakota State U

Central Arkansas

South Dakota State baseball player Nolan Grawe watches a pitch during action against Creighton in a game played at Sioux Falls Stadium in April 2025.

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

2/27/2026 6:10:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas outfielder Zeb Allen drove in four runs, including two with a fourth-inning home run, to lead the Bears to a 5-1 victory over South Dakota State in the opening game of a nonconference baseball series Friday afternoon at Bear Field.

UCA improved to 6-4 overall while the Jackrabbits dropped to 3-6.

After a triple by Nate Negre two batters into the game for the Bears, Allen plated the first run with a groundout to second base. In the fourth inning, Allen followed a Negre single with a two-run home run to right field that pushed the UCA advantage to 3-0.

Nolan Grawe accounted for what would be the lone run of the game for SDSU with a solo home run to lead off the top of the sixth inning. Grawe tallied two of the Jackrabbits' four hits in extending his streak of reaching base safely to 25 games, dating back to last season.

UCA and Allen would answer with single runs in the home half of the sixth and again in the seventh. Allen continued to be a thorn in the Jackrabbits' side by singling, stealing second and scoring on a base hit by Parker Gwyn for the sixth-inning run, then by notching his third hit of the game — a single in the seventh —that drove home Casey Shipley.

SDSU left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and wound up stranding eight runners in the game.

Allen was 3-for-4 to lead the Bears' 12-hit attack. Jayden Sloan, Negre and Shipley each posted two hits.

Jackrabbit starter Ty Madison took the loss after giving up four runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out two.

For UCA, Denver Hamilton worked the first 6 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking two. B Haywood added three strikeouts in 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.

ON DECK
Game 2 of the three-game series is slated for a 4 p.m. first pitch on Saturday.

NOTES

UCA leads the all-time series, 10-3
Grawe became the seventh different SDSU player to hit a home run this season
Nate Wachter and Travis Finney collected the Jackrabbits' other two hits.
Reigning Summit League Peak Performer of the Week Carter Taylor had his hitting streak end at six games
SDSU pitchers did not walk a batter until the eighth inning and issued a season-low two free passes
The Jackrabbits played errorless defense for the fourth consecutive game