Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ADA, Okla. – After suffering a heart-breaking 5-3 loss to East Central on a three-run walk-off homerun in the opening game of Friday's doubleheader, the Southern Arkansas softball team responded in the nightcap as the Lady Muleriders defeated the Lady Tigers by a score of 11-3 in five innings.
 
The game-winner in the opening game for the Lady Tigers (23-7, 9-3 GAC) was a part of a five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning that proved to be the difference in the game. Prior to that offensive outburst, the Lady Tigers were held in check by SAU starting pitcher Hanna Gill as she was working on a three-hit shutout.
 
While Gill was spinning a gem, her opposing pitcher Lacey Paulk was doing the same as Paulk limited the Lady Muleriders (17-15, 9-7 GAC) to no runs on four hits through the first five innings of play.
 
In the top of the sixth inning, the Lady Muleriders broke up the scoreless pitcher's duel in a powerful way as Brittany Wood parked a three-run homerun out to left field to give the Lady Muleriders a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the frame, the Lady Tigers would threaten to score as they loaded the bases, but Gill registered a called strike out of Jordynn VanPelt to escape the inning without surrendering a run.
 
After retiring the side in order in the top of the seventh inning, the Lady Tigers would start their final at-bats off with a hit-by-pitch. Three batters later and with one out in the inning, the Lady Tigers scored their first run off of Gill on a RBI groundout to shortstop. A walk then a single through the right side would score the second run and brought Gina Mengwasser to the plate. Mengwasser then sent the game-winner out centerfield as the Lady Tigers completed their comeback.
 
In the nightcap, the Lady Muleriders jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as Sarah Higginbotham collected a sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning to score Mackenzie Spanko, who walked to start the game. An inning later, however, the Lady Muleriders would find themselves trailing 3-1 as the Lady Tigers put together a three-run inning off of starting pitcher Taylor Clifton.
 
That deficit did not last long as the Lady Muleriders would score 10 runs over the next two innings of play to take firm control of the game. Four of those 10 runs came in the third inning with the big hit coming from Kelci Garza as she cranked a two-run homerun to centerfield. The other six runs came in the fourth inning as Courtney Johnson and Darian Harris each had two RBIs in the frame.
 
The offensive outburst by the Lady Muleriders was in support of Joella Bayles as the freshman came on in relief of Clifton to start the third inning. Bayles was spectacular in relief as she surrendered just one hit over three innings of work en route to her first collegiate victory in the circle.
 
These two teams will conclude their four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 23rd starting at noon.