Panthers drop second matchup of the Bulldog Classic.

Friday, February 27

Ruston, La.

1 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

6-8

Central Arkansas

10-7

Central Arkansas

Northern Iowa

Photo by: Stephen Featherston

Panthers drop second matchup of the Bulldog Classic.

2/27/2026 6:47:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

RUSTON, Louisiana — The Panther bats warmed up on day two of the Bulldog Classic, but UNI could not out-slug the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears as they took home a 12-6 victory over UNI.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Panthers were the first on the board with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning from Katelyn Callahan that pushed Benesh home. The Cats walked in a run in the top of the second inning, but tallied their second in the bottom of the second when Ella Smithson scored on a groundout. The Panthers held a 2-1 lead after two innings of play.

Central Arkansas scored a trio of runs in the top of the third inning on a three-run home run before a home run from Skylar Benesh gave UNI its third run of the contest. The Panthers trailed 4-3 after three innings.

Four runs in the top of the fourth inning from the Sugar Bears extended their lead to 8-3 before a double in the top of the fifth tacked on another. Katelyn Callahan found the outfield for a double that drove in Skylar Benesh to cut the Central Arkansas lead to five at 9-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning before Peyton Johnson sent a ball over the fence in the bottom of the sixth frame for a two-run home run that scored Eve Morris.

The Panthers trailed 9-6 after six innings before a three-run top of the seventh for Central Arkansas. Trailing six runs heading into the final frame, the Panthers were unable to get a runner past second base and dropped the contest 12-6 in Louisiana.

BY THE NUMBERS

Skylar Benesh tallied a pair of hits with three runs and an RBI in four at-bats. Katelyn Callahan and Peyton Johnson each had a pair of RBIs. Morgan Vertz struck out three batters in a 2.2-inning relief effort.

UP NEXT

The Panthers wrap up the Bulldog Classic hosted by Louisiana Tech with a pair of games on Saturday against Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana Tech at 1 p.m. CT and 7 p.m. CT, respectively. UNI's contest against Louisiana Tech will be available for streaming on ESPN+.

UNI softball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Softball), X (@UNISoftball), and on Instagram (@unisoftball). The 2026 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.