BETHANY, Okla. – The Arkansas Tech softball team suffered their first loss since the final day of February as their 19-game winning streak came to an end with a 6-5 loss in eight innings in the series opener at Southern Nazarene on Thursday.
SNU got out to an early 2-0 lead on the strength of a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. The Crimson Storm then added a run in the third to take a 3-0 lead. That lead would disappear in the next half inning as
Caroline Wilhelm hit a three-run home run.
The Crimson Storm regained the lead in the fourth inning, but a two-run fifth gave the Golden Suns their first lead at 5-4. The first run of the inning scored on a solo home run off the bat of
Anna Winkfield. Three batters later,
Aly White doubled home
Aubree Jones, who doubled herself in the at-bat prior to put Tech on top.
The lead did not last long, however, as SNU hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth.
Neither team scored in the sixth or seventh innings as the game went into extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, the Golden Suns would get a leadoff double from Wilhelm and had two runners in scoring position with one out, but were unable to get the clutch hit, stranding both on base.
In the bottom half, got the potential winning run to third with one out thanks to a walk and a double. After making the second out of the inning, a second walk loaded the bases. The Crimson Storm then won the game on a single to center.
The Golden Suns will look to bounce back from the setback and play a doubleheader against SNU on Friday starting at Noon.
