ADA, Okla. – The Arkansas Tech softball team bounced back from a tough one-run loss in the series opener at East Central on Friday and took both ends of their doubleheader on Saturday thanks to some late-inning magic.
GAME ONE
In the opener, the Golden Suns wasted no time in getting their offense going as
Shelby Chavers led off with a double to left field. After she was sacrificed over by
Lillee Mahan, Chavers was able to trot home as
Maycie Hardy cranked a two-run home run.
East Central would match those two runs, however in their half of the second to tie the game at two apiece. In the bottom of the third, the Tigers scored a run to take their first lead, but it was short-lived as the Golden Suns answered right back a half inning later to tie the score at three.
The tying run at that moment was a solo home run from
Savannah Snow.
In the top of the sixth, the Golden Suns once more grabbed a lead with a run on two hits in the inning. Hardy would lead the inning off with a single to right and then was pinch-ran for by
Brooklyn Haney. After Haney was sacrificed over to second by
Sydney Keaton, Snow picked up her second RBI of the game with a double to left-centerfield.
Down to their last at-bats in the bottom of the seventh, ECU quickly tied the game for a third time, this time on a leadoff home run. Later in the inning, the Tigers would have the potential winning run at third with two outs, but the Golden Suns would get out of the jam to force the game into extra-innings.
Neither team scored in the eighth, but in the ninth, Tech plated three runs on four hits to take a 7-4 lead.
In that inning,
Anna Winkfield led off as a pinch-hitter and singled to center. After the first out was made in the next at-bat, the Golden Suns loaded the bases thanks to consecutive singles by Chavers and Mahan. Hardy then drove in the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly out to centerfield.
A walk to Keaton in the next at-bat would load the bases up once more and brought Snow back up to the plate. Already with a good day going at the plate, Snow added to it with a clutch two-RBI single up the middle.
East Central would score a run in the bottom of the ninth, but the Golden Suns had scored enough insurance runs in the top half to earn the 7-5 win.
GAME TWO
Just as they did in the opener, the Golden Suns wasted no time in getting going offensively as they scored three runs three hits in the top of the first. That inning started with a one-out single by
Lillee Mahan. Not long after that single, Mahan scored on a RBI double by
Maycie Hardy. Three batters later,
Sydney Keaton delivered the big hit as she singled home two runs.
East Central had another answer in their half of the first, but the Golden Suns managed to get out of the inning with the lead intact.
That score would hold all the way until the top of the seventh as the Golden Suns added three runs of insurance on four hits. All three runs in the inning scored off Hardy's home run. The three-run shot by Hardy scored Chavers and Mahan, who singled in the two at-bats prior.
Those three runs of insurance proved to be very much needed as East Central rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but it was not enough as Tech completed the doubleheader sweep with a 6-3 win.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns will now prepare to play the third and final game of their series against Harding on Tuesday, April 16. First-pitch for the game is scheduled for 4 p.m. from Searcy.
