RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - Coming off a hard fought win in game one of the weekend series against Northwestern Oklahoma State, the Arkansas Tech softball team takes command in the series closing doubleheader with brilliant pitching in both games along with some big hits to shutout the Rangers in the doubleheader. In game one, starting pitcher
Bailey Buffington threw an incredible no-hitter for the 18th in program history. This is the ninth straight conference series win for the Golden Suns and the fifth straight conference series sweep.
GAME ONE
Buffington got things rolling right away quickly grabbing a three up three down inning in the top of the first. In the bottom of the frame, senior second baseman
Tymber Riley would record a single through the right side for the lone hit of the bottom of the first. She would get as far as third base, but the Rangers were able to get out of the inning before she could strike home plate.
Riley was incredible at the plate in game one of the doubleheader going a perfect 4-for-4 and collecting two RBI's. The senior made up four of the five total hits for the Golden Suns as a whole in the game.
In the top of the second, Buffington went to work once again collecting a pair of swinging strikeouts on her way to three outs to bring out the Tech bats. The Rangers picked up back-to-back walks on
Jessica Williams and
Holly Crutchfield to put two on base for the Golden Suns. Riley would drive home Williams with her second hit of the day, this time a single up the middle, to make it a 1-0 Arkansas Tech lead heading into the third inning of action.
Dominating the NWOSU hitters once again, Buffington retired three straight batters that included another pair of swinging strikeouts in the third inning and picked up another swinging strikeout in the top of the fourth inning where she once again sent back three straight in the NWOSU lineup.
Another walk to Williams led off the bottom of the fourth inning. Following the walk, Crutchfield would advance Williams to second on a sacrifice bunt, but would be safe at first following a muffed throw by the Ranger second baseman. Bringing across Williams would again be Riley with what was essentially the same exact scoring play as the last with a single up the middle to make it a 2-0 lead for the Golden Suns.
Heading into the top of the fifth, Buffington took to the inside of the circle to try and continue to command the game. She did just that in another inning only facing three batters and sending back two on strikeouts. She would do the same thing in the top of the sixth making it her fourth straight inning of retiring the side in just three faced hitters from the Ranger lineup.
The bottom of the sixth would be where the Golden Suns shut the door on the game with another pair of runs. For the third time in the outing, NWOSU walked Williams. Also, for the third time in the outing Riley would advance Williams with a single to put runners at the corners for Tech as
Caitlyn Wells approached the plate.
During the at-bat for Wells a wild pitch would allow Riley to advance to second to setup the scoring play with runners in prime position at second and third. Wells would bring across both runners picking up a two RBI single up the middle to give the Golden Suns a 4-0 lead.
Buffington capped of her brilliant performance in the circle with yet another three straight outs to claim the 18th no hitter in Golden Sun softball program history. She picked up the win and moves to 12-6 on the year. The sophomore finished her day with no hits or runs allowed, walking only a single batter, and recording eight strikeouts to lead Arkansas Tech to the 4-0 win.
GAME TWO
Picking up right where
Bailey Buffington left off inside the circle was pitching ace
Shannon Lasey closing out her first inning in the circle with three straight swinging strikeouts and collecting another three straight outs in the top of the second to set the tone early.
Makenzie Goins led off the bottom of the second inning with a walk and would find her way to second thanks to a solid sacrifice bunt by Tech shortstop
Brooke Prewitt that was just short of a base hit for the junior. The Golden Suns would find their first pair of runs in the game off a monster two-run bomb over the left field wall from
Jessica Williams to take an early 2-0 lead.
Following the two-run shot from Williams, NWOSU walked
Holly Crutchfield, which brought back up the top of the order with
Shelby Chavers set to go at the plate. A crushed double to left field for Chavers would allow Crutchfield to round third and storm home plate for the third run of the bottom of the second as the Golden Suns led 3-0.
Lasey picked up another strikeout in the circle in the top of the third, but the play of the inning came in a dangerous situation as a long single to right field for the Rangers set up what looked to be their first run of the day with the runner rounding third base. The Golden Suns stopped it though as Crutchfield launched a brilliant throw to Williams at home from right field that was in time as Williams was able to tag out the Ranger runner preventing the run and retiring the side.
Arkansas Tech would find themselves another run in the bottom of the fourth that started with
Sydney Keaton reaching first off a muffed throw by the NWOSU second baseman. She would then find herself in scoring position at second after a wild pitch. A sacrifice bunt from Williams pushed Keaton to third as she waited on standby to attack home plate.
A bunt single to the catcher for Crutchfield would bring in Keaton for the run and make it a 4-0 lead for the Golden Suns after a full four innings of action.
The final run of the weekend for the Golden Suns would come in the bottom of the sixth inning. Prior to the start of the bottom of the sixth, Lasey continued to deliver in the circle still holding the Rangers of Northwestern Oklahoma scoreless through six looking to complete the game.
Leading off in the bottom of the sixth for Arkansas Tech was Williams in her third at-bat of the game. The catcher would punch the dagger to Northwestern Oklahoma crushing her second long bomb of the game over the left field wall to give the Golden Suns a 5-0 lead. Lasey would close out the game in the circle for Arkansas Tech as the team managed to pick up the 3-0 series sweep in a doubleheader shutout.
Lasey picks up the win in this one and improves to 15-6 on the year. The sophomore went the distance to pitch a complete 7.0 inning game and only allowed three hits, with no runs, walking no batters and collecting six strikeouts.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns approach the end of the 2022 regular season as they have one last matchup slated on the schedule. Tech will host Southeastern next weekend for their final Great American Conference three-game series of the regular season. The series will open with a single game on Friday with first pitch set to go at 5 p.m. that night. Then, the series and regular season will wrap with doubleheader action slated for a noon first pitch on Saturday at Chartwells Women's Sports Complex.
