BENTONVILLE, Ark. – It was a great showing by the Arkansas Tech softball team in their lone day of action at the 2024 Alvy Early Memorial Classic as they won both of their games, 9-1 against Truman State in the opener and 4-0 against Missouri Western in the second game.
TRUMAN STATE
In the game against Truman, the Golden Suns got started offensively in the bottom of the second inning on a two-run home run off the bat of
Sydney Keaton, her first of the season. Prior to Keaton's bomb,
Dani Lindsey led off with a hit-by-pitch. She was then sacrificed over to second by
Lexi Gorniak ahead of Keaton's at-bat.
Truman State got one of those runs back in the top of the third inning on a solo home run to lead off the inning, but that would be the only blemish that the duo of
Aiden Dayberry and
Alexis Findley would allow in the circle.
Dayberry got the start and pitched the first 3.0 innings allowing the one run on one hit while striking out four. Findley handled the final two innings and allowed just one run and struck out three. With the game eventually ending in the fifth due to the eight-run rule, Dayberry registered the win, her first as a Golden Sun.
She was put in position for that initial thanks to a RBI single to left-centerfield by battery-mate
Savannah Snow. Prior to that,
Kaylyn Aguirre drew a one-out walk and then was sacrificed over to second by
Kacie Gibbins.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Golden Suns got their second home run of the game on a solo shot by
Maycie Hardy to left-centerfield.
An inning later, the Golden Suns scored five runs on three hits to evoke the run-rule. The first two runs of the frame scored on a pinch-hit, two-RBI single through the right side of the infield by
Bradi Basler. Two batters later, the game was ended in walk-off fashion as Gorniak belted a three-run home run out to left-centerfield.
MISSOURI WESTERN
The game against Missouri Western was a pitcher's duel through the first three and a half innings before the Golden Suns were able to take advantage of a Griffons' error in the bottom of the fifth to score four runs.
In that inning,
Riley Drake led off with a double down the left field line and was then pinch-ran for by
Arissa Harrish. After a walk was issued to
Adrianna Cooney and
Shelby Chavers reached on a fielding error by the Missouri Western pitcher, Aguirre singled home Harrish for the first run of the inning.
Two batters later, Snow singled in Cooney and then Lindsey delivered the big hit with a two-RBI single up the middle.
All of that scoring in the fifth held up and was in support of the brilliant starting pitching performance by
Bradi Basler. The current GAC Pitcher of the Week pitched 6.0 innings allowing no runs on three hits, walking one and striking out seven.
Jaycee McKee handled the final inning and worked around a hit in the frame, holding Missouri Western scoreless to give Tech their first shutout of the season.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns will now prepare for another weekend of in-region competition as they will take part in the 2024 Raising Cane's Softball Invitational held in Edmond, Okla. They are scheduled to play five games at the invitational and will start off with games against Missouri Southern and Central Oklahoma on Friday, February 16.
