RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Tech softball team's bats usually aren't quiet for long, so when the Golden Suns were held to two hits in the first game of Sunday's Great American Conference doubleheader against Arkansas-Monticello, it was no surprise they busted loose in the second game, as the Suns pounded out 11 hits in an 8-4 victory, after falling 2-1 in the opener, to snap the conference-leading Cotton Blossoms' nine-game winning streak and seven-game run to start GAC play.

The No. 23 Golden Suns (14-5, 5-3 GAC) picked up two solid pitching performances, as Victoria Huie and Morgan Vaughan both went the distance, allowing six hits and two earned runs or fewer. Two late runs by UAM (15-4, 7-1 GAC) proved to be the difference in the opener, while Tech returned the favor in the middle innings of Game 2, as Alex Edinger, Jalissa Gum and Shanna Davidson each had two hits and Whitney Robinson turned in a 3-for-3 effort to get the offense going.

The first game was a pitcher's duel from the start, as Tech's Huie and UAM's Katie Slaughter — who entered with a combined record of 11-2 on the season — went back and forth shutting down the opposing lineup through the first five innings. Huie allowed just a pair of hits through the first five frames, stranding runners and getting a big double play to end the third while catcher Courtney Colunga cut down a runner trying to steal to end the fourth.

UAM grabbed the lead on a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth before Huie induced a fly ball to strand two more runners. The Cotton Blossoms added another in the seventh on an RBI single, leading the Golden Suns into the bottom of the seventh down 2-0. They got started in the right fashion, as Kambri Hill straightened out a foul shot over the wall on the next pitch, blasting a shot over the fence in left to cut the deficit in half. Samantha Herwick drew a walk as a pinch hitter, and Ashley Savage beat out the back end of a double play, but a pop out brought the Suns down to their last out, but Miranda Dupree's laser shot up the middle was snagged by the shortstop for the final out.

Edinger had Tech's only other hit in the first game, while Huie went seven innings, allowing six hits and striking out two.

The Suns matched their hit total from Game 1 before four outs were recorded in the nightcap, but still trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the third, where Edinger led off by beating out a bunt single, was moved up to second on a Samantha Herweck sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a passed ball and scampered home to tie it on Hill's groundout to short. The bottom of the fourth began with five straight productive trips to the plate for the Golden Suns, as Gum singled and was moved up to second on an Alexa Wimberly sac bunt. Robinson followed with an RBI double over the left fielder's head, and Chelsea Reeves added a triple off the wall in center to score Robinson before Davidson knocked her in with a single through the left side to make it 4-1.

The bottom of the fifth provided some needed insurance, as Savage and Dupree walked, followed by Robinson's third hit, an RBI single through the right side. With Dupree and Robinson in scoring position with two outs, Davidson fought off four straight foul balls, took a close pitch to make the count full, then deposited the next pitch over the fence in left to shoot Tech out to an 8-1 lead, which was more than enough to get back on the winning track.

Vaughan tossed all seven innings, allowing just five hits, one walk and one earned run while striking out three to earn her fourth win of the season, and second straight, and lower her ERA to 2.53. Huie worked around six hits to only allow a pair of runs while picking up two strike outs.

The Golden Suns hit the road next weekend, heading to Southern Arkansas for a four-game GAC series with the Muleriders Friday and Saturday.