Box Score

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Freshman utility player Shelby Miller has just about done it all for the Southern Arkansas softball team this year as she has been sensational both as a hitter and a pitcher. Friday night was no different for Miller as her two-run homerun provided herself, the starting pitcher, all the run support needed as she also pitched a one-run gem to help SAU defeat Henderson State by a score of 3-1, advancing them to "Championship Saturday".
 
The win for the Lady Muleriders (35-24) not only kept  them alive in the Great American Conference Tournament, but it also set a program record for the most wins in a season, besting the previous record of 34 wins back in 2000; the second year of the program.
 
In Friday night's game, the Lady Muleriders played as the home team once more, and Miller made quick work of the Lady Reddies (30-25) in the top of the first inning. In fact, Miller would own the Lady Reddie lineup for most of the game as she faced the minimum through the first five innings. The lone blemish in that time was a one-out double in the third by opposing starting pitcher Kayla Williams, but Williams would be erased at third base on a 5-3-6 double play to end the inning.
 
While Miller was not allowing any base runners in the circle, her and her teammates were not having much trouble getting on base, but they were unable to score through the first three innings. In that time, Williams has wiggled off the hook several times as she stranded seven Lady Muleriders.
 
In the fourth inning, however, the Lady Muleriders would get on the board. Taylor Guin led off the frame with a ringing double over the right fielder's head. In the next at-bat, Courtney Hudgins would groundout to the third baseman, but Guin was able to advance to third on the play. Two pitches later, Miller launched a mammoth two-run homerun to left field to give her and SAU a 2-0 lead. Five batters later, Chelsea Ivy drew a bases-loaded walk to force in another run, making it a 3-0 game in favor of SAU.
 
After working a perfect top of the fifth inning, Miller would run into a bit of trouble in the sixth as the Lady Reddies scratched across their lone run of the game. Back-to-back singles to lead off the inning set the table for HSU. Following a sacrifice bunt by Alicia Zack that moved both runners into scoring position, leadoff hitter, Tricia Hock, drove in a run as she grounded out to Leigha Doyle at shortstop.
 
In the top of the seventh, with the score still 3-1 in favor of SAU, Miller would surrender a leadoff infield single to HSU's Amber Klug. Following a deep flyout by Sarah Gipson, Miller would bring the Lady Muleriders to within an out from advancing as she struck out Ashlyn White for the second out. A solid single through the left side by Morgan South kept the inning alive and brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Jaylin Baldridge. Two pitches later, however, Miller would induce a harmless tapper back to her and she under-hand tossed to first base to secure the win.
 
The Lady Muleriders will now look to exact some revenge on Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday starting at noon as it was the Savage Storm who sent SAU to the brink of elimination with a 2-9 loss earlier in the day on Friday.
 
Fans wishing to take in the action may do so through the following live links:
LIVE VIDEO (GAC Sports Network): https://www.youtube.com/user/GACAthletics
LIVE STATS: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=53611