EDMOND, Okla. - The Arkansas Tech softball team opened day one of the Edmond Regional Festival in Oklahoma strong picking up a sweep on the day beating Missouri Southern and Cameron. The Golden Suns are riding a six game win streak and currently sit at 8-4 overall to start the 2022 season.

GAME ONE
In the game against Missouri Southern, neither side was able to rack up any runs on the board until the fourth inning. In those first three innings, Maddy Prough got the start on the mound and managed to strikeout three batters across the opening innings of the game. Makenzie Goins would hit a double in the top of the first, but would not make it home to score.

To open the top of the fourth, Tymber Riley and Goins would both hit into ground outs quickly giving the lions two outs as Caitlyn Wells headed to the plate. Wells would break the game open for the Golden Suns crushing a double to start the flurry of incoming hits. Holly Crutchfield followed Wells and hit a single scoring Chloe Bryant from second, who came in to pinch run for Wells. Crutchfield picked up the RBI to help Arkansas Tech draw first blood holding a 1-0 lead. Brooke Prewitt continued the hot hitting with a single of her own sending Crutchfield into scoring position at third base. Arissa Harrish would take her base from a walk, bringing up Makenzie Addis to the plate with bases loaded. Addis would deliver by crushing a two out double scoring both Crutchfield and Prewitt to pick up two RBI's. Harrish would advance to third off the double from Addis, then score due to a throwing error by the center fielder which also moved Addis to third. The Lions would collect the final out of the inning on a strikeout, but the damage had been dealt by the Golden Suns holding a 4-0 lead.

Missouri Southern picked up their first hit of the game in the bottom of the inning with a single. Prough would walk the next two batters loading up the bases with one out. The Lions next hitter would pick up an RBI and reach first on a fielders choice, but the Golden Suns would manage to throw out the runner at second to pick up the second out. Tech would escape the bottom with just one run allowed as they headed into the fifth inning with a 4-1 lead.

Riley would open things up for Tech in the top of fifth inning with a single. Goins would find her way to first after a hit by pitch. Wells was next and sent out her second double of the game scoring Riley to pick up the RBI. Crutchfield hit a sac fly to centerfield that allowed Goins to score the final run of the inning giving the Golden Suns a 6-1 lead.

Shannon Lasey replaced Prough on the mound to start the bottom of the frame and dished out three quick strikeouts to send the Tech offense back to the plate. Kassie Mayberry would pick up the only hit for the Golden Suns in the top of the sixth with a single.

Goins would start the top of the seventh for Tech taking a base after another hit by pitch sending Prewitt to the plate. Prewitt would connect for a triple sending Goins in to score at home. Once again, the Golden Sun bats began to catch fire as Jessica Williams hit a double scoring Prewitt. Williams would then score the third run of the inning off of the second double of the day for Addis, who gave Tech a 9-1 lead. Mayberry would pick up the final hit of the game for Tech with a single. The Golden Suns would close out the game in the bottom of the frame with three quick outs to pick up the 9-1 win over Missouri Southern.

GAME TWO
The Golden Suns opened game two against Cameron struggling to find any hits in the opening innings. Meanwhile, Cameron struck an early blow in the bottom of the first inning scoring their one and only run of the game off a throwing error by Shelby Chavers. Both sides would remain quite until the top of the third inning as the Aggies held their 1-0 lead.

Mayberry would earn the first hit of the game for Arkansas Tech with a double, but would be unable to score. The Aggies would continue to quiet the Golden Suns offense that had been rolling the past five games heading into the sixth inning still leading 1-0.

Mayberry headed to the plate as the leadoff hitter in the top of the sixth and would hit a flyout to rightfield bringing up Chavers to bat. Chavers would finally give the Golden Suns life with a clutch homerun to tie the game 1-1 in the sixth. Cameron would collect the final two outs of the innings against the next two Tech hitters, but Chavers put the team back in position to win the game.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Wells would reach first on an error by the shortstop. Crutchfield would reach second base off an error by the third baseman for Cameron and Kaylyn Aguirre, the pinch runner for Wells, would advance to third off the same error putting two members of the Golden Suns in scoring position with no outs. Tech would be unable to cash in on the two runners in scoring position as Cameron quickly collected three outs. The Golden Suns would find three quick outs of their own in the bottom of the seventh sending the game into extra innings tied at 1-1.

Both sides would be unable to produce any offense in the eighth inning picking up three easy outs and sending the game into the ninth and final inning still tied at 1-1.

More costly errors by the Aggies led Goins to reach first base sending Wells up to hit. For the second time on the day, Wells would break the game wide open for the Golden Suns hitting a double that sent Goins to third and once again putting two runners in scoring position with no outs. Bryant replaced Wells on second to pinch run as Prewitt headed to the plate. Prewitt hit a successful squeeze bunt single to score Goins with the go-ahead run and put Bryant on third to give the Golden Suns their first lead of the game at 2-1. Harrish came in for Adrianna Cooney and managed to hit the second consecutive successful squeeze bunt for Tech that would score Bryant and advance Prewitt from third to home off an error by the Aggies catcher giving Tech some insurance runs with a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the frame.

The bottom of the ninth got the Aggies to within scoring position, but the Golden Suns would close out the nine-inning thriller and walk away with the clutch 4-1 win and start the weekend off a perfect 2-0.

On the mound for the Golden Suns against Cameron was Bailey Buffington who managed to throw a complete game staying in for all nine innings. In her nine innings of work, Buffington allowed only one run and struck out four on her way to earning her fourth win for the season giving her a 4-1 record.

UP NEXT
The Golden Suns will continue their weekend in Oklahoma at the Edmond Regional Festival with day two tomorrow as they take on another pair of non-conference opponents. First up is Nebraska-Kearney with first pitch slated for 12:45 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. Tech will close out the second day of play against Lubbock Christian which is set to go with a 5:15 p.m. first pitch tomorrow evening.