WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. – On the first leg of two days through Arkansas, the Stephens College softball team came up short in a pair of American Midwest Conference road contests Friday afternoon against Williams Baptist University, falling 1-9 and 2-4.

Game One: Williams Baptist 9, Stephens 1

In the opener, the Stars took an early 1-0 lead in the first without recording a hit. Elise Kendrick and Ivy Smart reached base on hit-by-pitches, and Kendrick would later score on a passed ball. But the advantage was brief as Williams Baptist erupted for five unearned runs in the fourth inning.

A three-run double capped the outburst, putting the game out of reach. The Eagles tacked on four more runs across the fifth and sixth to secure the 1-9 run-rule win. Stephens managed just two hits—one from Kara Krieger and Celeste Athon—against a sharp outing from WBU's pitcher.

Game Two: Williams Baptist 4, Stephens 2

Game two proved tighter, as the Stars built a 2-0 lead by the fourth inning. Krieger doubled and scored on a two-out RBI single by Katie Dennis in the third. In the fourth, Kyndal Vincent's aggressive baserunning and a clutch single from Emmy Carver helped push Stephens ahead.

But again, a late Williams Baptist rally spoiled the momentum. The hosts tied the game on a two-RBI single in the fourth and took the lead for good with a triple and a sacrifice fly in the fifth. A two-run seventh inning was just enough to keep Stephens at bay.

Carver paced the Stars with two hits and an RBI, while Krieger went 3-for-6 on the day across both games. Kendrick and Dennis each tossed complete games in the circle, combining for 11.2 innings of work.

Stephens (13-18, 7-6 AMC) will look to bounce back on Saturday as the Arkansas trip continues with a doubleheader at Crowley's Ridge in Paragould, Ark. First pitch is currently scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.