RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech softball team won both ends of their Friday afternoon doubleheader against Southern Arkansas with a 1-0 win in 10 innings in the opener and a 4-1 win in the nightcap. The twin-bill sweep also gave the Golden Suns the series sweep over SAU after winning 4-3 on Thursday night.
GAME ONE
A regulation seven innings was not going to be enough to decide the winner in the opener and ultimately went 10 innings until the Golden Suns were able to walk-off with the win thanks to a RBI single up the middle by
Maycie Hardy.
Earlier in the inning,
Arissa Harrish led off with an infield single to second base. Harrish then moved into scoring position in the next at-bat as
Lexi Gorniak pinch-hit and had a productive groundout to third. Lillie Mahan then moved Harrish 60-feet closer with a groundout to second base.
This set the stage for the clutch hit by Hardy. In the at-bat, Hardy fell behind 0-2, but battled back even at 2-2 before finding the hole up the middle of the infield for the game-winning RBI.
Benefitting in the circle from Hardy's game-winner was Tech starter
Alexis Findley as she pitched all 10 innings for the Golden Suns. In her time in the circle, Findley scattered five hits, worked around five walks and struck out seven as she registered her third shutout of the season.
The win was also the 200
th in the head coaching career of Golden Suns head coach
Jordon Jones.
GAME TWO
In the second game, the Golden Suns pushed across the first run in the bottom of the second inning on a RBI double to left-centerfield off the bat of
Aidan Gorton. Earlier in the inning,
Sydney Keaton led off with a single to left field. Gorton's RBI knock then came two batters later, scoring Keaton all the way from first.
SAU matched the tally with one of their own in the top of the third, but it would end up being the only run they would score the rest of the game as the Tech pitching staff of
Aidan Dayberry and
Jaycee McKee held the Muleriders scorless the rest of the way out.
Dayberry would go on to earn the win after pitching 4.0 innings. She would allow the one run on two hits, walked one and struck out two. McKee handled the last three innings to pick up her second save of the season. McKee would only allow two hits, walk none and struck out three.
With Dayberry and McKee standing on business in the circle, the Golden Suns' offense gave each some breathing room with two runs in the bottom of the third and one more in the bottom of the fourth.
The two runs that scored in the third came on a two-RBI single up the middle by Keaton while the run in the fourth was a RBI single through the left side off the bat of Hardy.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns will now prepare for a mid-week conference game at Harding on Tuesday, April 9. First-pitch from Searcy is scheduled for 4 p.m.
