CONROE, Texas – Fortunes turned around for the Arkansas Tech softball team in the second day of the ATU Winter Invitational as Tech won both of its games on Sunday afternoon, beating No. 2-ranked Augustana 6-3 and Texas Woman's 6-0.
 
GAME ONE
Against Augustana, the Golden Suns (2-2) struck first with a single run in the bottom of the first inning on a single through the left side by Makenzie Goins. Her single scored Tymber Riley, who doubled in the at-bat previous.
 
That single run held up until the top of the fifth inning when Augustana was finally able to get to Golden Suns starter Shannon Lasey. In that fifth inning, the Vikings (4-3) scored three runs on four hits and took a 3-1 lead. Prior to that inning, Lasey had held the second-ranked Vikings to just two hits while striking out six.
 
The Golden Suns' offense picked up Lasey in the bottom of the frame, however, and scored three runs off three hits to swing back on top by a run, 4-3. In that inning, Shelby-Lynn Chavers led off with a walk. Riley then followed with a double, the second of her three in the game. Goins notched her second RBI of the game on another single through the left side to score Chavers. Following a groundout, Caitlyn Wells doubled home Riley and Goins to push Tech on top.
 
Now leading, the Golden Suns turned to Maddy Prough out of the bullpen, looking for her to shut the door. Prough made quick work of the Vikings in the sixth, retiring the side in order. In the bottom of the inning, the Golden Suns bats went back to work and scored two more runs to provide some insurance for Prough in the seventh.
 
The runs that scored in the bottom of the sixth for Tech came on a double by Riley and a single by Goins.
 
In the top of the seventh, Prough worked around a one-out single to put the finishing touches on an impressive first win of the season.
 
GAME TWO
Not long after the big win over Augie, the Golden Suns took on Texas Woman's, and the bats from the first game carried over as Tech notched 10 hits scored another six runs.
 
The bulk of the offensive production came in the bottom of the second when Tech scored four runs on three hits and benefited from one TWU error. The big blow in that inning was a two-RBI double to left-centerfield off the bat of Riley.
 
The Golden Suns added single runs in the third on a sacrifice fly by Brooke Prewitt and in the fifth on a home run by Wells.
 
All of that offense was more than enough support for Bailey Buffington and Kaila Cartwright. Buffington got the start and worked five complete innings allowing just two hits, no walks and three strikeouts. Cartwright tossed the final two innings, allowed just one hit, walked one and struckout three.
 
The Golden Suns will finish up their time at the ATU Winter Invitational on Monday and are set to play a pair of nationally-ranked opponents in No. 18 Angelo State and No. 1 UT-Tyler. First-pitch vs. Angelo is scheduled for 11 a.m. and first-pitch with UT-Tyler is set for about 20 minutes following the end of the Angelo game.