Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MONTICELLO, Ark. – After suffering a heart-breaking 7-6 defeat in extra-innings of the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader, the Southern Arkansas softball team was unable to fully recover in the nightcap as Arkansas-Monticello took the game 9-1 to complete the doubleheader sweep.
 
The opening game of the doubleheader featured a prototypical pitcher's duel as the Lady Muleriders' (23-22, 15-13 GAC) Hanna Gill and the Cotton Blossoms' (24-20, 10-10 GAC) Randa Perry matched one another seemingly pitch-for-pitch.
 
Perry would show the first signs of vulnerability in the game as the Lady Muleriders struck for a pair of runs to take an early 2-0 lead. Gill would make that score stand until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Cotton Blossoms scored an unearned run to make the game 2-1.
 
From there, both pitchers went into shutdown mode over the fifth and sixth innings as the two starters did not allow a run. The two pitchers also combined to allow just two hits over that time, with both hits coming off of Perry.
 
After stranding a leadoff hit in the top of the seventh inning, the Lady Muleriders and Gill came back on defense in the bottom of the frame looking to secure the win. UAM's Brittany Eitel led off the frame with a single to left field. Eitel was then promptly moved over to second base on a sacrifice bunt. A batter later, Eitel would score the tying run as Perry helped her own cause by lifting a RBI double to centerfield. Gill would induce a lineout and a groundout to escape the inning.
 
Now in extra innings, both pitchers returned to the circle and both picked up right where they left. Over innings eight and nine, neither team would score while each recorded one hit a piece in that time.
 
Having played through nine innings with the game remaining tied, the softball international tie-breaker rule was put into effect to start each half inning until the games' conclusion. As part of this tie-breaker, the last player, or spot in the order, to record an out in the previous inning is automatically placed at second base to begin the inning.
 
In the 10th inning, the Lady Muleriders benefited from the rule as Kelsey Fisher began the inning at second base. Fisher was then promptly bunted over to third base by Taylor Guin. A sharp single back to the pitcher by Mackenzie Spanko in the next at-bat platted Fisher from third base. After a steal of second base, Spanko scored on error by the Cotton Blossoms' right fielder. Two batters later, Courtney Johnson, who reached base on the error, scored on a RBI single by Kelci Garza.
 
In the bottom of the frame, however, the Cotton Blossoms would match the Lady Muleriders' three-run output in the top half as they knotted the game up at five-all and forced the game into the 11th inning.
 
After neither team scored in the 11th, the two would trade single runs in the 12th to force a 13th inning. In the 13th inning, the Lady Muleriders would be held off the scoreboard which gave the Cotton Blossoms a chance to end the marathon game with just a single run.
 
In the bottom of the 13th inning, the Cotton Blossoms would face a new pitcher as Joella Bayles came on to relive Gill. Gill's final stat line would read 12.0 innings pitched, nine hits allowed, seven runs (three earned), three walks, and 12 strikeouts.
 
Bayles retired the first batter she faced on a groundout to the shortstop, but Sara Matthews, who was placed on second base as part of the international tie-breaker rule, was aggressive on the base paths as she took third base on the putout. Now with the winning run at third base with less than two outs, the Lady Muleriders opted to intentionally walk the next two batters to load the bases.  
 
After successfully walking the first batter following the groundout, the second attempt went awry as the third pitch to Summer Huddleston went over catcher Sarah Higginbotham's head, allowing Matthews to score the winning run.
 
The Lady Muleriders would not be able to avenge the heart-breaking defeat, however, as the Cotton Blossoms rode the momentum of the game one win to a 9-1 win in the night cap.
 
In that second game, the Cotton Blossoms would score in each inning but the third. The two teams would combine to hit four homeruns in the game as well, with three coming off the bat of Cotton Blossoms.
 
The series between the two will conclude tomorrow afternoon with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.