RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech softball team picked up a big doubleheader sweep over Harding in Great American Conference action on Wednesday night at the Chartwells Women's Sports Complex. Tech came-from-behind to win the opener, 5-4, and used dominant pitching and timely hitting in the nightcap to earn a 5-1 win.
 
GAME ONE
In the opener, Harding's offense got off to a red-hot start as they scored three runs on five hits in the top of the first. That inning possibly could have yielded more damage, but the Lady Bisons (15-8, 4-4 GAC) ran into two outs on the basepaths. The first of those saw a runner get cut down at the plate trying to score while the second saw a Lady Bison get thrown out at third trying to stretch a double into a triple.
 
With the assistance of those outs on the basepaths, game one starter, Bailey Buffington was eventually able to work out of the first inning and limit the damage to just three runs scored.
 
That proved to be extremely important as the Golden Suns (14-10, 4-3 GAC) tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Shelby-Lynn Chavers led off with a walk and then moved to second on a single dumped into left field off the bat of Tymber Riley. Following a strikeout, Chavers and Riley walked across the plate as Caitlyn Wells hammered a line drive three-run home run out to left field, just inside the foul pole.
 
Now with the game essentially reset and tied at three-all, the Golden Suns turned to their bullpen for Maddy Prough to start the second inning. The move to Prough proved fruitful as she slowed the Harding offense and allowed just one hit and a walk over the next two innings.
 
In the top of the fourth, Harding pushed across the go-ahead run on a misplay by the Tech defense. After a walk and a single to the first two batters, Harding scored in the next at-bat as the misplayed ball allowed the Harding runner at second to score.
 
The aftermath of that play put runners on the corners with no outs and Harding with a one-run lead. The situation then got even worse as Harding loaded the bases in the next at-bat with a fielder's choice.
 
Prough would bear down from there, however and retired the next three batters in order to limit the damage to just one run.
 
As it did early in the game, the minimizing of damage was crucial as another home run tied the game. This time it was a solo shot out to left-centerfield off the bat of Makenzie Goins in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Prough then came out in the top of the sixth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to keep it a 4-4 game.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Golden Suns made a pair of pretty quick outs, but Kassie Mayberry kept the inning going with a double to right field. After her double, Chavers would be hit-by-a-pitch to move Mayberry to second. In the ensuing at-bat, Mayberry got really aggressive on the basepaths and raced around for the go-ahead run on a single to shortstop that kicked out of the glove for Riley.
 
That go-ahead run proved to be the game-winning run as Kaila Cartwright came on in relief of Prough in the top of the seventh and pitched a perfect inning with three harmless ground balls to put the final nails in the come-from-behind victory.
 
Prough earned the win as she pitched 5.0 innings of relief with just three hits, one run (unearned) two walks and two strikeouts. The win was the fifth of the season for Prough. The save for Cartwright was the second of the year for her.
 
GAME TWO
The nightcap got off to a much better start for the Golden Suns as starter Shannon Lasey retired the side in order in the top of the first and picked up two stirkeouts as well. In the bottom of the inning, Chavers led off with a hustle triple to left field.

Two batters later, Chavers scored on a RBI groundout by Wells. Holly Crutchfield then made it a two-run inning with a RBI single up the middle to score Goins, who walked earlier in the inning.
 
Another 1-2-3 top of the inning gave way to another two runs in the bottom half. This time, the Golden Suns scored the two runs on an errant throw by the Harding third baseman.
 
Those early runs proved to be more than enough for Lasey as she was dominant in the circle.
 
Harding would not get a baserunner off Lasey until a two-out walk in the fourth and did not notch their first hit until the top of the sixth. The hit also yielded Harding's only run of the game, but the Golden Suns got the run back in the bottom of the inning with a RBI double by Mayberry.
 
Lasey would be relieved in the top of the seventh for Cartwright. As she did in the first game, Carwright wasted little time in retiring the side in order to secure the win for Lasey and Tech.
 
Lasey's final line would see her work 6.0 innings, allow just the one hit and one run, walk three and strikeout seven. The win improved her to 4-4 on the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns will now prepare to hit the road this weekend as they will travel to Monticello to take on Arkansas-Monticello. The series was previously scheduled for Friday-Saturday, but will now be played Sunday-Monday. Game times will be announced in the coming day or two.