CONROE, Texas – The Arkansas Tech softball team split their two games on Saturday afternoon at the 2023 DII Spring Invitational Kickoff at the Scrapyard Sports Complex in Conroe, Texas with a 5-1 setback to St. Mary's in their first game and a 3-0 win against (RV) Oklahoma Christian.
GAME ONE
Against St. Mary's, Tech scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning on a RBI double to the opposite field for left-handed hitter
Bradi Basler. Her RBI knock came right after
Brooke Prewitt tripled down the right field line.
The Rattlers (3-0) answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. The second of those runs that scored came under an unfortunate set of circumstances as the batter prior, it appeared that the Golden Suns had gotten out of the inning on a called third strike with a full count, but an illegal pitch was called negating the strikeout and issuing a walk instead, which extended the inning and allowed for the RBI at-bat to take place for St. Mary's.
Following that, the Golden Suns turned to the bullpen for
Kaila Cartwright. Cartwright would get out of the inning and went on to retire the next six batters in order before St. Mary's reached base off her to lead off the bottom of the fourth. No damage came, however as Cartwright escaped unscathed.
In the fifth, however, the Rattlers got a two-out hit to score a run and double their lead., 3-1 An inning later, they plated two more runs and led 5-1.
The Golden Suns threatened in the top of the seventh with a pair of hits, but ultimately were turned away without scoring.
GAME TWO
Shortly after the tough result against St. Mary's, the Golden Suns had to turn their attention toward a tough opponent in Oklahoma Christian, a team receiving votes in the preseason NFCA Top-25 poll.
The Golden Suns proved to be resilient and up to the challenge.
As they did in the first game, Tech was first on the scoreboard with Prewitt scoring run in the top of the first. This time, it was
Makenzie Addis collecting the RBI after Prewitt doubled two batters earlier.
That run eventually proved to be enough for
Bailey Buffington as the senior right-hander would go on to notch her second complete game shutout in as many starts.
The first and truly only threat to Buffington's shutout came in the bottom of the fifth inning. With two on and one out, the Eagles (3-1) got a single up the middle and tried to score from second, but
Shelby Chavers nailed the runner at the plate to end the inning.
After that, the Golden Suns started to cash in some insurance runs with one in the sixth and one in the seventh.
The run in the sixth scored by Basler as she was driven in by
Makenzie Goins on a clutch two-out single to right field. The run in the seventh came on a sacrifice fly by
Kaylyn Aguirre that scored
Dani Lindsey, who, in the previous at-bat, hit a pinch-hit triple to right-centerfield.
Now staked to a three-run lead, Buffington would retire the Eagles in order in the seventh to put the finishing touched on the win.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns will now prepare for their final two games at the DII Spring Invitational Kickoff on Sunday afternoon. First up, the Golden Suns will take on St. Edward's at 1:15 p.m. and close out the weekend against No. 3-ranked UT Tyler.
