CONWAY, Ark. – Senior Daniella Rodarte went 4-for-7 with an RBI and HBU had stellar pitching as the Huskies swept an important Southland Conference doubleheader from host Central Arkansas, 6-2 and 5-2, Thursday evening from Farris Field.

The two wins moved HBU from seventh place to fourth place in the conference standings. The top six teams make the tournament.

Rodarte went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored in game one. Shay Orsak and Alyssa Burnett both went 2-for-4, as Orsak led the Huskies with two RBI.

Emily Mueller (7-7) allowed eight hits, two runs, and one walk with two strikeouts in 5.0+ innings. Kendall Stiefel earned two saves on the day, the first since she recorded a save her freshman year in the Great West Conference championship game against North Dakota on May 16, 2011, when the Huskies defeated UND, 7-6, to win the conference championship. In game one of tonight's game, Stiefel allowed two walks and zero hits in three innings of work.

Sarah Bigej went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Bears, while Sam Forrest went 2-for-3. Kylee Studioso (11-8) went the distance in the circle and allowed 10 hits, six runs, and three walks with nine strikeouts.

HBU broke a scoreless game by scoring four runs in the top of the second. Burnett hit an RBI triple, then crossed home on an RBI double by Rodarte. Lauren Schwirtlich and Orsak then switched places, as L. Schwirtlich hit an RBI double, followed by an RBI double by Orsak to make it 4-0 Huskies.

UCA cut the deficit in half with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, as Bigej hit a two-run triple. The Huskies got those runs back in the next half inning on two more RBI doubles, by Orsak and Kirsten Schwirtlich to give the Huskies a 6-2 lead.

K. Schwirtlich went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in game two for the Huskies, while Cecilia Bauer also went 2-for-3.

Shannon O'Connor (5-6) earned the win in the circle, as she allowed four hits, two runs, and three walks with two strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Stiefel earned her second save of the day as she struck out one in 2.1 innings.

Briana Whisenhunt went 2-for-2 with an RBI for UCA, while Bigej went 1-for-2. Kayla Gomness (1-5) started and took the loss, as she gave up eight hits, five runs, and one walk with three strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Studioso struck out the only batter she faced as she pitched the final one-third of an inning.

It was a pitcher's duel, as HBU only had two hits and O'Connor was working on a no-hitter through three innings. The Huskies finally broke through the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth, as L. Schwirtlich's ground out scored Rodarte from third.

HBU added two more runs in the top of the sixth on an RBI double by Burnett. Burnett later scored the Huskies' third run on a wild pitch. Those two runs proved to be crucial, as UCA got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning with two runs of their own to make the score, 3-2 HBU. The Huskies got some breathing room with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh on RBI singles by Orsak and K. Schwirtlich.

HBU (16-22 overall, 10-10 SLC) and UCA (19-29 overall, 8-11 SLC) conclude the series Friday at 2 pm.