[March 15, 2008]

By: Houston Taylor

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Arkansas Tech completed a season series sweep with 3-1 and 8-4 victories over Southern Arkansas Saturday at the Ballpark on Stadium Drive. The Golden Suns (21-5, 6-0 GSC) took the first two games of the Gulf South Conference series on Wednesday in Russellville.

Tiphani Moon belted a two-run homer in the fifth inning of Saturday’s opener for ATU’s winning runs. They took a 1-0 lead in the first before the Lady Muleriders (5-13, 0-6 GSC) came back to knot it in the third on Cheyenne Savony’s run-scoring single. SAU left two runners on each of the first and third innings.

Tech finished with seven hits, committed two errors, and left seven on base, while Southern Arkansas had six hits, two errors, and stranded six.

Dana Aldrich (10-3) threw five innings in picking up the win. She allowed all six hits and the run, which was unearned, and struck out three. Casey Hammons tossed the final two innings for her third save of the year.

Alex Doyle (2-4) started and went five innings in being saddled with the loss. She surrendered all seven Golden Suns’ hits, the three runs, of which only one was earned, and walked and fanned one.

ATU pushed three runs across in the sixth to break a 4-4 deadlock then added an insurance run in the seventh to get the win in game two. They had eight hits, made two errors, and left seven runners on.

Catcher Tancy Matthews’ two-RBI single aided the Lady Muleriders’ three-run third, which tied the game. After Arkansas Tech moved ahead with a solo run in the fourth, SAU evened it again in the fifth. They had a chance to turn that into a big inning, with four hits, but left the bases loaded. Southern Arkansas ended with seven hits, but five errors in the game killed them, and they stranded eight.

Jones and Matthews each had doubles in the game, while the Golden Suns had three doubles and a triple.

Hammons (10-2), again in relief, picked up the win this time. Credited for 4 2/3 innings, she gave up six hits, two runs - one earned, walked three and struck out one.

Sarah Holub (0-4) went 4 2/3 innings in relief for the loss. She allowed four hits, five runs, of which only one was earned, walked two, and fanned one.

The Lady Muleriders get a long spring break, not playing again until March 26 when they host Ouachita Baptist in a 5 p.m. conference doubleheader.