BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Following their 2-1 conference series win against Southeastern that gave them the No. 1 seed in the GAC last weekend to close out the regular season, the Arkansas Tech softball team put together a solid offensive and defensive game all around to take down Arkansas-Monticello 6-0 in the quarterfinal round of the Great American Conference Tournament. Eight of the nine total hitters in the Golden Sun lineup managed to pick up a hit in today's game.
Starting in the circle for the Golden Suns was 2022 All-GAC First Team member and the conference Pitcher of the Year
Shannon Lasey. The Dover, Ark. native put together a solid game in the circle going the distance throwing a complete seven inning game as well as earning a shutout not letting the Cotton Blossoms reach home plate once.
The Golden Suns wasted no time at all attacking early as 2022 All-GAC First Team member and the conference Player of the Year
Tymber Riley crushed a leadoff homerun to give the team a quick 1-0 lead over Arkansas-Monticello. The homerun by Riley was her 15th of the season tying Harding's Nicole Shano for the most homers this season in the GAC. This was also Riley's 33rd career homerun leaving her just three away from tying Tiphani Moon for the most career homeruns in Golden Sun softball program history.
In the second inning, both sides would pick up a single hit each but would be unable to bring across any runs to break the game open. The Cotton Blossoms picked up a leadoff single to start the top of the third inning. A groundout to first base would advance the runner to second and a walk in the next at-bat would put two on base for UAM with two outs.
The Cotton Blossoms looked like they were about to tie the game up with a single up the middle that had the runner rounding third and headed home, but a beautiful throw by Tech centerfielder
Shelby Chavers to catcher
Jessica Williams at home plate was in time to tag the runner out at home to end the inning with no damage done on the board as the Golden Suns still held onto their 1-0 lead.
The bottom of the third inning would be where Arkansas Tech would step on the gas to take control of the game. The rally started with a leadoff walk to Riley that was followed by a single to right center field by 2022 All-GAC First Team member
Caitlyn Wells. A sacrifice bunt by
Makenzie Goins would advance both Riley and Wells ahead one base. Following the sac bunt, the Cotton Blossoms decided to change their approach in the circle with a pitching change.
The new pitcher didn't last long as an RBI single from
Sydney Keaton to the pitcher scored Riley and put Wells on third. Golden Sun third baseman
Kassie Mayberry followed Keaton with a big time double down the left field line scoring Wells and advancing Keaton to third. Following the double by Mayberry and only after facing two hitters in the Tech lineup, Arkansas-Monticello decided to make another quick pitching change.
Once again the Golden Suns made the new pitcher pay as Chavers hit a hard single to third base to score Keaton, put Mayberry on third and beat out the throw to first to stay safe. A flyout to centerfield advanced Chavers over to second base putting her in scoring position, while Mayberry stormed home plate to bring across another run for Arkansas Tech in the bottom of the third inning.
Chavers managed to find herself on third following a wild pitch. A single to third base put Williams on first, but Chavers would stay at third avoiding the risky play to charge home. Freshman
Adrianna Cooney would deliver the final run of the afternoon in the bottom of the third inning with a strong single up the middle to put Williams at third and score Chavers to give the Golden Suns a 6-0 lead after the bottom of the third.
Neither team would put up another run in the game as both pitchers managed to close out strong for their team. Lasey would close out the strongest as the reigning GAC Pitcher of the Year put together a solid days work only allowing five hits on no runs and striking out six in her complete seven inning game. The sophomore also picked up the win in this one moving her record on the year to 17-7.
UP NEXT
The No. 1 Golden Suns return to action tomorrow morning as they face No. 4 Southern Nazarene at 11 a.m. in the semifinals of the Great American Conference Tournament.
