Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Day one of the University of Arkansas-Monticello (UAM) 7-State Regional Classic saw the Southern Arkansas softball team come out on the losing end against Fort Hays State and Central Missouri by scores of 7-0 and 8-3 on Friday at Memorial Park in Bentonville, Ark.
 
In the first game of the day against Fort Hays State, the Lady Muleriders (4-6) fell behind in the first inning as starting pitcher Hanna Gill surrendered a two-run homerun to Danie Brinkmann. In the bottom of the frame, the Lady Muleriders threatened to score runs of their own as Courtney Hudgins and Taylor Guin reached base to start the inning. Two batters later, Sarah Higginbotham notched an infield single to load the bases with one out.
 
Fort Hays starting pitcher Katlyn Kern would get out the inning unscathed, however, as she got a strikeout out of Brittany Wood and then induced a pop up by Lauren Witzke to escape the inning.
 
Over the next two innings, the Lady Tigers (3-0) would tack on three runs to extend their lead out to 5-0.
 
Following their bases loaded opportunity in the first inning; the Lady Muleriders would load the bases once more, this time in the third inning, as they drew a pair of walks and got an infield single by Witzke. Just as in the first inning, however, Kern would escape the inning without allowing a run to score as she registered a strikeout to end the frame.
 
The Lady Tigers would add two more runs in the top of the fifth inning before eventually winning by a score of 7-0.
 
The second game of the day saw the Lady Muleriders take on Central Missouri, and similar to the first game, the Lady Muleriders fell into an early hole on a homerun given up in the first inning. This time, the homerun put the Lady Muleriders down 3-0.
 
The Jennies (4-4) would add four more runs in the second inning to take a commanding 7-0 lead through the first two innings.
 
After being held off the scoreboard for the first four innings against Central Missouri, the Lady Muleriders broke through with a single run in the top of the fifth inning on a RBI triple by Mackenzie Spanko. The Lady Muleriders would add single runs in the sixth and seventh innings on RBI singles by Ashley Quintana and Joella Bayles.
 
The Lady Muleriders will play two more games on Saturday, February 16th as they are slated to take on Northwest Missouri State and Emporia State in the second day of the UAM 7-State Regional Classic. The first game of the day for the Lady Muleriders will be against Northwest Missouri and has a first-pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m.