RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - Coming off a solid 2-1 home series victory this past weekend against Oklahoma Baptist, the Arkansas Tech softball team continued to play at a high-level as the team split their non-conference mid-week doubleheader against one of the best teams in the country in No. 3 Rogers State. The Hillcats took the first game of the afternoon 4-1, but the Golden Suns returned the favor and picked up a 2-1 win in extra innings in the second game following a walkoff error by the Hillcat shortstop. Arkansas Tech handed Rogers State just their third loss on the season in that game two.
GAME ONE
In the opener, the Golden Suns (21-14, 11-6 GAC) saw
Bailey Buffington make her 12th start on the year inside the circle. The sophomore pitcher quickly got to work and collected all three outs on a trio of swinging strikeouts in the top of the first inning. Rogers State brought the heat in the circle all of game one as they quickly collected their three outs in the bottom of the frame to move into the top of the second.
Following a double to left field and a ground out to second base that advanced the runner on second, the Hillcats brought in their first run of the day off a single to center field. Later that same inning, a single to right center field would put up another run to make it a 2-0 lead for RSU.
The starting pitcher for Rogers State continued to be relentless as the Golden Suns could not find any offense until the final inning of play. Tech's pitching held their own against a tough Hillcat team that is hitting above .300 as a team this season. Buffington would throw a complete game for the Golden Suns in the circle and collect four strikeouts along the way.
The Hillcats picked up a single in the top of the fourth inning and would advance that runner to second off a ground out to the Tech pitcher, but would leave the baserunner stranded unable to come up with a hit.
Rogers State collected their final two runs of the opening game off a two run shot barely missing foul territory over the left field wall to lead the Golden Suns 4-0.
Heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Golden Suns had no hits or runs, but second baseman
Tymber Riley would change that as she smoked a long ball over the left field wall to put the Golden Suns on the board and avoid the no hitter situation from Rogers State. The Hillcats would close out the game in the bottom of the seventh taking the 4-1 game one win.
GAME TWO
In the second game, the Tech offense would find some life early starting with a single to right field for Riley in the bottom of the first inning.
The Hillcats walked third baseman
Kassie Mayberry to put two runners on, with Riley in scoring position on second. The Golden Suns found their first run on the board off a busted single up the middle by
Makenzie Goins that brought Riley home in plenty of time to take an early crucial 1-0 lead over RSU.
The Golden Suns would keep their lead through four innings as Tech starter
Shannon Lasey went to work in the circle retiring a plethora of Hillcat batters.
Rogers State opened the top of the fifth inning with a single to fight field, that led to stolen base to put a runner in scoring position looking to get them on the board. A double by the Hillcats would do just that as they tied the game at one all but would leave two runners stranded. Following the double,
Kaila Cartwright replaced Lasey in the circle to close out the game for the Golden Suns.
Both teams managed to collect three straight outs in the sixth inning of play and would hold each other scoreless once again in the seventh to send the game into an extra eighth inning showdown with the score still standing at a 1-1 stalemate.
Cartwright once again did her job in the circle going three up three down retiring the first three hitters for the Hillcats to send out the Tech offense for their final act of the day.
Mayberry started the party with a single that bounced past the glove of the second baseman to reach first and put one on for Tech. Mayberry would advance to second following a groundout to second base and would find her way to third base off another groundout, this time to the Hillcat shortstop to put her within striking distance of home plate and the winning run as shortstop
Brooke Prewitt stepped up to the plate.
Prewitt managed to connect and send a grounder out to the Rogers State shortstop who committed a fielding error as the ball got away from her allowing Prewitt to reach first and Mayberry to storm home plate with the winning walk off run giving the Golden Suns their 2-1 extra inning topple of No. 3 Rogers State to split the mid-week doubleheader.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns return to conference play and once again find themselves on the road as they travel to Arkadelphia, Ark. to take on the Ouachita Baptist Tigers in a three-game weekend series. The opening game of the weekend is scheduled for this Friday with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. from Sully Anderson Field in Arkadelphia. The series will conclude with doubleheader action on Saturday. First pitch for the doubleheader is set to go for noon on Saturday.
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