TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Arkansas Tech softball team completed a four-game series sweep over Northeastern State as they won both games of their road doubleheader on Tuesday.
GAME ONE
In the opening game, the Golden Suns wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard as
Sadie Turner hit a leadoff home run to right field. Northeastern State responded with a run of their own in the bottom half, but the Golden Suns gained complete control of the game in the third with a four-run inning.
Kacie Gibbins led that inning off by getting hit-by-a-pitch. She then got to second in the next at-bat on a single up the middle from
Anna Winkfield. A well-placed bunt single from
Caroline Wilhelm drove in Gibbins, moved herself to second and moved Winkfield to third. After a fielder's choice cut down Winkfield at the plate, Wilhelm scored on a wild pitch.
Savannah Snow then drove in
Maycie Hardy, who had that fielder's choice on a double to right-centerfield. After getting to third on a passed ball, Snow scored the fourth run of the inning on a RBI single from
Lexi Gorniak.
The Golden Suns would go on to tack on three runs to their lead over the next two innings with Gibbins scoring on a NSU error in the fourth and then tripling home two in the fifth.
NSU scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to bring the score to its final of 8-2.
GAME TWO
The second game would need extra innings before Tech was able to come away with the win, 9-5.
Prior to that, the Golden Suns got out to a 2-0 lead with two runs scoring in the first, but a run in the first, second and two in the third by Northeastern State gave the RiverHawks a 4-2 lead.
That score held until the top of the sixth when the Golden Suns score twice to tie the game at four-all. The runs that scored that inning were off a RBI single from
Maycie Hardy and a bases loaded hit-by-pitch to
Sadie Turner.
The Golden Suns then took a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh on a two-out RBI double by
Sharlee Jackson. NSU managed to put together a two-out rally of their own in the bottom half to tie the score at five-all and send the game to extra-innings.
In the top of the eighth,
AJ Fike got the big inning going with a one-out walk. Turner then singled. NSU got the second out of the inning in the next at-bat and were almost out of the inning unscathed, but the Golden Suns would get three-straight run-scoring hits.
The first of those was a RBI single from
Anna Winkfield. The second was a two-RBI double by Wilhelm while the third was a RBI double by Hardy.
The Golden Suns then turned to the bullpen for the bottom half and brought in
Alexis Findley. The senior right-hander left little doubt as she struck out the side to end the game.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns will now be at home this weekend for a three-game Great American Conference series against East Central. The series is slated to begin with a doubleheader on Friday starting at 3 p.m.
