GRAVETTE - Senior Ethan McKinzie allowed two runs on four hits in a complete-game effort and Central Arkansas - the only No. 4 seed remaining in the NCAA Tournament - beat Mississippi State 5-2 Sunday night in Starkville, Miss., to force a winner-take-all game in the Starkville Regional on Monday

The Bears (42-21), who beat South Alabama 3-0 behind freshman Connor Gilmore’s complete game earlier Sunday, played the Bulldogs Monday at Dudy Noble Field.

Results were not available at press time. The winner will face No. 6 national seed Virginia this weekend in a Super Regional in Charlottesville, Va.

McKinzie (4-2) threw 131 pitches, walking 5 and striking out 1, as UCA has now won eight elimination games since the Southland Conference Tournament.

Bears Coach Allen Gum wasn’t expecting to have two complete games by his starting pitchers on Sunday, but he’ll take them going into today’s regional championship.

“We hope for seven, maybe six then kind of go from there and piece it together,” Gum said. “They kept going strong. I wasn’t thinking we were going to throw two complete games today.”

McKinzie said he was glad he went nine innings, a feat he had never accomplished at UCA.

“I wanted the ball,” he said. “The adrenaline started going in the ninth. I’m glad we got the win.”

The Gravette native is UCA’s closer and has a team high five saves. On Sunday, he saved the Bears from having to use their bullpen.

“(The) defense was working for me,” McKinzie said. “I look at it, I gave up five walks, but whenever I needed to, I found the pitch.”

News, Pages 9 on 06/05/2013