CONWAY, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech softball team opened up Great American Conference play with a 10-4 win over East Central on a drizzle-filled Friday night out at The Fieldhouse in Conway.
Reaching double-digits in scoring for the second time this season, the Golden Suns (3-2, 1-0 GAC) used a pair of big innings to reach their output of 10 runs against the Tigers (4-3, 0-1 GAC) on Friday night.
The first of those big innings came right at the beginning of the game as the Golden Suns scored four runs in the bottom of the first. The damage done by the Golden Suns in the inning was also aided by a pair of errors by the Tigers. The Suns would pick up two hits in the inning, but neither of the hits led to a run scoring as three of the runs scored on sacrifice flies (one on a dropped fly ball) and the other being forced home on a walk.
Caitlyn Wells drew the RBI walk while
Makenzie Goins,
Holly Crutchfield and
Morgyn Fulgham accounted for the sac flies.
The second big inning for the Golden Suns came in the bottom of the fifth as they plated six runs on four hits. In the half inning prior, ECU had tied the score at four-all.
Following a hard-hit line out to lead off the inning, Wells smashed a ground-rule double over the wall in right field. Abby Cain then pinch-ran for Wells and was promptly driven in on a RBI single to left-centerfield by Crutchfield. The Golden Suns then drew a pair of walks to load the bases with one out.
Morgan Page followed and was hit-by-a-pitch to earn a painful RBI.
Brooke Prewitt then singled through the left side to score the third run of the inning. The biggest hit of the frame then came off the bat of
Tymber Riley as she laced a bases-clearing double down the left field line. On her three-RBI extra base hit, Riley was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple, but the damage was done.
After that second big inning at the plate, the Golden Suns had all of the insurance needed as
Robyn Bales, who came on in relief to begin the fourth inning, held the Tigers scoreless over the next two innings to secure the win for the Golden Suns. Bales herself would collect the win in relief as she ended up pitching 4.0 innings, scattering two hits and allowing one unearned run. She also walked just one and struck out five.
The Golden Suns and Tigers will now conclude their three-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
