ADA, Okla. – Arkansas Tech sophomore pitcher
Aly White etched her name in the Golden Suns softball record book on Friday afternoon as she pitched the 20
th no-hitter in program history. White received plenty of offensive support as Tech beat East Central, 10-1 in six innings.
The support for White jumpstarted in the second inning as the Golden Suns scored four runs on five hits. White actually started the inning off by reaching first on an error by the ECU third baseman. She was then pinch-ran for by
AJ Fike. Not long after that, Fike scored on a RBI double by
Aaliyah Dixon. After a steal of third, Dixon scored on a RBI single by
Sharlee Jackson.
Three batters later,
Anna Winkfield extended the inning on an infield single to short.
Miya Curry then loaded the bases with an infield single herself, this one to the pitcher.
Aubree Jones then drove in a pair on a single to right field.
The Tigers would be retired in order in the bottom of the second, but pushed across their lone run of the game in the third. That inning started with a leadoff walk and saw the run score on a RBI groundout.
After neither team scored in the fourth, the Golden Suns plated a pair of runs in the top of the fifth and added four in the sixth to put them in position for the run-rule victory.
In the fifth, the Golden Suns got three hits as Curry, Jones and White all singled. White's single drove in Curry, who led the inning off with a single. Curry later scored ahead of White's RBI knock on a sac fly from
Caroline Wilhelm.
In the sixth,
Abby Lowery tripled with one out and then walked home on a two-run home run by
Destiney Madewell. Later that inning, the based were loaded on a single by Winkfield, a single by Jones and a hit-by-pitch to Wilhelm. White then drew a bases loaded walk to force home the third run. The fourth and final run of the frame came on an error in the Dixon at-bat.
The Golden Suns and Tigers will now return to the diamond on Saturday for a doubleheader starting at Noon.
