Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Trailing by a score of 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Southern Arkansas softball team exploded for seven runs in the frame as they sailed past Southern Nazarene by a score of 9-3 in the opener of Friday's doubleheader. An 8-2 win for Southern Nazarene in the nightcap forced a split on the day.
 
In the opener, the Crimson Storm (13-25, 6-18 GAC) struck first as they got a leadoff homerun by Amy Madden to start the top of the fourth inning. The Crimson Storm would then go on to add two more runs in the inning to take a 3-0 lead.
 
The Lady Muleriders (22-18, 14-10 GAC) would get a run back in bottom half of the fourth when Brittany Wood singled home Lauren Witzke. An inning later, the Lady Muleriders got to within a run as Joella Bayles took advantage of a passed ball to score the team's second run of the game.
 
In their next at-bats, the Lady Muleriders put together the monster inning to grab a comfortable 9-3 lead heading into the top of the seventh. The big hits in the frame were a two-RBI double by Sarah Higginbotham, which was then followed by a two-run homerun by Kelci Garza.
 
Now staked to her first lead of the game, SAU starting pitcher Hanna Gill pitched a perfect top of the seventh inning to secure her 16th win of the season.
 
In the nightcap, the Lady Muleriders' offense was stifled by Crimson Storm starter Maci-Brooke Lambert as SAU was held off the scoreboard until the bottom of the seventh inning. The Lady Muleriders would score a pair of runs in the seventh inning to avoid the shutout, but the Crimson Storm still managed an 8-2 win to split the day's doubleheader.
 
The series will conclude tomorrow as another doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. Prior to first-pitch, seniors Courtney Johnson, Shelby Leach, Lauren Witzke, and Brittany Wood along with graduate assistants Kenzie Kitchen and Shay Ristau will be honored for Senior Day as the twin-bill will be the final home games this season.