Box Score BENTONVILLE, Ark. – The Golden Suns won their third consecutive Great American Conference championship tournament and their tenth straight GAC Under Armour Softball Championship game as they topped Southeastern Oklahoma State, 5-1, in the final.
 
 In the semifinals, the Golden Suns took down Southern Arkansas, 4-1, in Saturday's opening semifinal contest from the Tiger Athletic Complex. The victory marked their eighth straight victory against the Muleriders since 2018.
 
Tymber Riley earned tournament MVP at the conclusion of the championship. Caitlyn Wells, Makenzie Goins, Maddy Prough and Shannon Lasey also landed on the All-Tournament Team.
 
The Golden Suns await Selection Sunday, which will be streamed on NCAA.com, at 9 p.m. on Sunday.
 
FINALS
Once again, the Golden Suns got things going early in the game, getting on the board in the bottom of the first inning for the third consecutive game in the GAC tournament. Paty Loredo knocked a triple to left field before scoring on a double from Caitlyn Wells to give the Golden Suns a 1-0 lead after one inning.
 
The Savage Storm put runners on in the top of the second but Maddy Prough forced a fielder's choice and the Golden Suns' defense got out of the inning unscathed. Makenzie Addis registered her first hit of the tournament with a single to left field before advancing to second on a perfectly executed bunt from Makenzie Goins. Holly Crutchfield laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance them both before a sacrifice fly from Arissa Harrish scored Addis, extending the lead 2-0.
 
Prough forced two ground outs to open the top of the third before the Savage Storm knocked a double to right center. A popup from Southeastern Oklahoma ended the inning as they stayed scoreless after three. Loredo knocked her second hit of the day, a double down the right-field line and Prewitt drew a walk but the Golden Suns were unable to convert any runs in the bottom of the third.
 
Arkansas Tech posted another two runs in the bottom of the fourth as Crutchfield singled picked up her second hit of the game with a single to center field before Riley brought her home with a bomb to left-center, marking her second home run in as many games. The Golden Suns found themselves in a bind when the Savage Storm loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fifth. A fly out to right field was perfectly handled by Crutchfield throwing to Addis to get the runner out at home, keeping Southeastern Oklahoma scoreless.
 
The Golden Suns added another run in the sixth inning after Crutchfield recorded her second hit of the game and scored on a triple from Harrish, her first extra-base hit of the season to push the lead to 5-0. The Savage storm was able to knock one in in the top of the second before Prough retired her final batter of the evening with a pop fly to Cain. The win secures the Golden Suns third consecutive GAC tournament championship and an automatic-bid to the NCAA regional tournament.
 
Loredo shined for the Golden Suns, going 3-for-4 with a triple and two doubles in the finals. Crutchfield joined Loredo with two hits. Prough pitched her fourth complete game of the season, allowing just one run off seven hits, striking out one in the victory.
 
SEMIFNALS
Like their performance in the quarterfinals against Southern Nazarene, the Golden Suns got on the board first. Tymber Riley drew a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Abbie Cain and scored on a single up the middle from Caitlyn Wells.
 
Shannon Lasey kept the Muleriders scoreless for three innings, retiring Southern Arkansas in order in the second and third innings. The Muleriders posted their only run of the game in the top of the fourth before the Golden Suns added another in the bottom of the fourth. Wells drew a walk and Sydney Keaton came in as a pinch runner, advancing to second and third with a sacrifice bunt from Brooke Prewitt before scoring on a single from Makenzie Goins to go up 2-1.
 
Riley launched a bomb to right center in the bottom before Cain drew a walk and scored on another single up the middle from Wells, scoring the Golden Suns final runs of the game, extending the lead 4-1.
 
Shannon Lasey went 5.0 innings, striking out six before Maddy Prough picked up her GAC-leading seventh save with 2.0 hitless innings. Wells two hits and two RBIs led the Golden Suns as Holly Crutchfield, Arissa Harrish, Riley and Goins recorded a hit apiece.