BETHANY, Okla. - The Arkansas Tech softball team closes out their final game of the weekend at the Raising Cane's Softball Festival with a hard fought 5-10 loss to No. 1 Rogers State. Following today's action, the Golden Suns are 9-6 overall.
The Golden Suns opened the game with a strong statement against the defending DII National Champions as
Brooke Prewitt launched a leadoff solo homerun in the top of the first over the center field wall to put the Golden Suns on top 1-0 early. The Golden Suns would pick up one more hit in the inning with a double down the left field line by
Makenzie Goins, but the Hillcats would hold them to just the single run.
In the bottom of the frame, Rogers State would answer back with two runs scored on a pair of back-to-back base hits to take a 2-1 lead over the Golden Suns after the first inning of action.
Both sides would stay quiet offensively in the second inning of play. Rogers State would be the next team to score bringing across two more runs scored off a leadoff homerun and a double to left center field to extend their lead out to 4-1 after three.
The Hillcats would strike the board again in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back solo homeruns as well as a sacrifice flyout that would score a runner from third to hold a 7-1 lead over Arkansas Tech after four innings of play. After the back-to-back homeruns, the Golden Suns decided to make a change in the circle pulling starting pitcher
Bailey Buffington and putting in
Kaila Cartwright who would close out the game in the circle.
Cartwright would deliver a flawless fifth inning in the circle retiring three straight Hillcat batters down on swinging strikeouts to send back out the Golden Suns bats for the top of the sixth inning.
Kaylyn Aguirre led off the top of the frame with a single to second base, while Goins would follow with a single of her own through the left side. Both Aguirre and Goins would be put in scoring position after a wild pitch advanced them ahead to second and third base.
Makenzie Addis would bring across the first run of the inning with a groundout to the Hillcat shortstop that allowed Goins to take third and Aguirre to strike home plate.
Plating the final run of the inning for Arkansas Tech would be
Jessica Williams with a single up the middle to score Goins and make it a 3-7 deficit for the Golden Suns.
Once again, the Hillcats would respond to the Golden Sun offense scoring another three runs, two of which were scored off errors committed by the Golden Suns. Heading into the final inning of action, Rogers State held a 10-3 lead as the Golden Suns had one last chance to make a final push.
To open the top of the seventh,
Shelby Chavers would walk sending Prewitt up to bat. Prewitt would hit her second homer of the game with a shot over the centerfield wall to score herself and Chavers. The homer by Prewitt would score the final runs of the game as Rogers State collected three straight outs to take the game 10-5.
Buffington picks up the loss for the game and moves to 6-2 overall on the year in the circle.
The Golden Suns have wrapped their preseason schedule and now set their focus on the 2023 regular season conference slate that begins next weekend as the Golden Suns will host Southern Nazarene in a three game weekend series. The series opener is set for a 4 p.m. first pitch on Friday afternoon at Chartwells Women's Sports Complex. Then, the Golden Suns will close out the weekend series with doubleheader action on Saturday at Chartwells with first pitch set for noon.
