MONTICELLO, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech softball team came up with clutch hits throughout both ends of their doubleheader at Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday which helped lead them to a doubleheader sweep with a 4-2 win in the opener and a 6-0 win in the second game.
GAME ONE
UAM took the early lead in the opener with a single run in the bottom of the first. In the third, the Cotton Blossoms added another single run to go up 2-0. A half inning after that, the Golden Suns scored twice to tie the game at 2-all.
Sharlee Jackson led that inning off with a walk. She was then pinch-ran for by
Abby Lowery. In the next at-bat, Lowery made third as
Aly White reached on fielding error by the UAM first baseman.
AJ Fike then came on to pinch-run for White as there were runners on the corners with no outs.
Caroline Wilhelm drove in the first run of the inning on a single to right field.
Miya Curry then sacrifice bunted Fike and Wilhelm up 60-feet.
Riley Drake then picked up a RBI on a successful sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher, scoring Fike.
That 2-all tie held up until the top of the seventh when the Golden Suns put together a two-out rally. A leadoff single by Curry was quickly erased on a fly ball double play in the next at-bat.
Aaliyah Dixon then extended the inning with a walk. That would allow
Anna Winkfield to come to the plate and the junior did not let the opportunity go as she connected on a two-run home run to straightaway centerfield, giving Tech a 4-2 lead.
Ainslee Moore, who started the game in the circle, made those two runs stand up as she retired the Cotton Blossoms in order to secure the 4-2 win.
GAME TWO
In the second game, the Golden Suns jumped out on top with a run in the first inning. This time it was
Caroline Wilhelm chasing home Miyah Curry on a sacrifice fly to centerfield. In the third, the lead got to 2-0 as
Aubree Jones singled to right, scoring
Anna Winkfield.
The Golden Suns then added a third run in the fifth as Wilhelm doubled down the left field line. The game pressed on to the seventh with Tech leading 3-0. The Golden Suns would strike for three runs in that inning to double their lead and provide more than enough insurance support for starting pitcher
Aly White.
In that seventh, Wilhelm picked up her third RBI of the game with a sac fly to right field. Two batters later, White helped her own cause with a two-run single to left. White would then handle business in the bottom of the seventh and put the finishing touches on a shutout victory.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns and Cotton Blossoms will conclude their series on Friday afternoon with a single game starting at Noon.
