OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Following their recent hot streak, the Arkansas Tech softball team faced a tough opponent in No. 15 Oklahoma Christian on the road in their mid-week non-conference doubleheader and fought them well but ultimately came up short in both games. The Golden Suns move to 31-16 overall on the season.

GAME ONE
The opening game of the mid-week doubleheader on the road started well for the Golden Suns as Caitlyn Wells managed to crush a huge two out solo homerun over the left field wall to give them an early 1-0 lead over the No. 15 team in the country in Oklahoma Christian. The homer by Wells marks her 11th on the year.

Following the top of the first inning, Arkansas Tech ace Shannon Lasey took her spot inside the circle to lead the defensive effort against a strong Eagles offense hitting .339 as a team so far this year. Lasey fared well in her first three innings of work allowing three hits, but not letting a single run go by as the Golden Suns still held on to a tight 1-0 lead heading into the top of the fourth inning.

Another run would find its way across for Tech in the top of the frame that started with a walk to Makenzie Goins. Following a strikeout, Sydney Keaton stepped up to the plate to whack a solid single out to centerfield advancing Goins to scoring position at second. The bases then found themselves loaded by a walk to Golden Sun catcher Savannah Snow. 

The lone run in the fourth for Arkansas Tech would come from Oklahoma Christian as they walked Shelby Chavers with the bases loaded to force a run home, giving Tech the 2-0 lead at the end of the frame.

Oklahoma Christian was still without a run through five full innings as Lasey continued to deliver in the circle.

The Eagles would finally strike in the bottom of the sixth as a single and a hit by pitch put two baserunners on leading to a double to left center field that brought in both runners to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the seventh inning of play. Neither team would be able to bring across a run leading to extra inning action.

Runners remained quiet in the eighth as neither side could bring one across sending the game into the ninth and final inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Lasey quickly picked up two outs with only one to go to force a tenth inning, but the Eagles hit a heartbreaking homerun down the left field line to walk it off in extras and take the first game 3-2.

Lasey still finished the day only allowing three runs by a team that can hit well anywhere in the order and pitched a complete 8.2 inning game with five strikeouts to record a solid outing for the sophomore starting pitcher.

GAME TWO
The final game of the afternoon proved to be a battle of pitchers and the sole scoring play of the entire game decided the winner. 

That scoring play came early from the Eagles as they managed to bring the one lone run of the game from either side across in the bottom of the first inning. A leadoff walk led to a steal for second base to put the runner for Oklahoma Christian in scoring position. The runner would make it home off a double down the right field line to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead and the only run from both sides for the game.

Other than the early one run slip, Arkansas Tech starting pitcher Bailey Buffington logged a great outing holding a team with fantastic hitters across the board to just one single run in the bottom of the opening inning of play.

Her day as a whole was well rounded as Buffington, like Lasey, also went the distance to throw a complete game in the circle allowing six hits, a single run, while walking only a single batter and collecting three strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.

On the hitting side, Wells managed to have a solid game at the plate going two-for-three on the day and ups her season batting average to .428 on the year.

UP NEXT
The Golden Suns will remain at home for the rest of the regular season and will return to conference play this weekend as Northwestern Oklahoma State comes to town. The three-game weekend conference series against the Rangers will begin on Friday with the series opener, which is set for a 5 p.m. first pitch from Chartwells Women's Sports Complex. On Saturday, the series will wrap with a noon first pitch for doubleheader action.

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