MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas continued to swing a hot bat as the Lady Mulerider softball team picked up two key in-region wins by defeating Truman State 10-7  and Missouri Western State University 10-1 on Saturday in the final day of action in the UAM 8-State Classic.
 
SAU collected 22 hits during the day, including seven homeruns to improve to 6-4 overall.
 
In the first game, Ashton Atwell belted two homeruns with a two-run blast in the 1st inning that opened scoring and a two-run shot in the 5^th inning that broke a 4-4 tie. Chancy Williams worked 6.1 innings and struck out seven batters in relief to pick up her second win.
 
Audrey Farfan doubled to score Maddie Dow and give SAU a 3-0 lead after Atwell's one-out homerun. TSU answered with two unearned runs in the bottom half of the first off of SAU starter Jami Godwin.
 
After a scoreless second inning for both sides, Darian Harris led-off the third inning with her second homerun in as many days to push the SAU lead to 4-2. Truman State would answer in the bottom frame with a two-run shot that tied the contest at four.
 
Williams worked around a leadoff double in the fourth inning before Atwell's previously mentioned homerun broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the 5^th. Up 6-4 and with two outs, Farfan left the park via solo shot to left field to increase the SAU lead to 3, 7-4.
 
Again, TSU would answer via two-run homerun that cut the Southern Arkansas lead to 7-6 in the 5^th inning. But Williams would fan the next three batters to preserve the lead.
 
Chelsea Ivy quickly reached third base to lead off the sixth inning after a hit-by-pitch and two passed balls set the stage for a Taylor Guin RBI single that pushed SAU's lead back to two.
 
Williams would keep TSU hitters at bay in the sixth and a Summer Ehrig single in the 7^th scored two runs as the Lady Muleriders took a 10-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh. One last Truman St. homerun rounded out the scoring in the SAU win.
 
Atwell added three runs and a walk to her busy day at the plate, while Dow, Harris, Farfan and Ehrig all collected two hits, with the latter two picking up a pair of RBIs.
 
In the afternoon game, a rematch of the 2014 NCAA Central Region Tournament, Southern Arkansas needed only five innings to close the door on Missouri Western State University. Miranda Cuff received all the help she would need in the first inning as Dow and Farfan both manufactured two-RBI homeruns that quickly put SAU up 4-0.
 
Guin doubled home two runs in the second to pad the Lady Mulerider lead 6-0. MWSU would scratch a run in the bottom half on a fielder's choice, but Cuff would invoke a ground ball double-play to get out of the inning.
 
Ehrig singled in the 4^th that scored two and Cuff sat MWSU down in order in the 5^th before Atwell ended the game with her third homerun of the day, fourth of the tournament with a two-RBI blast to center field that summoned the 5-inning run-rule.

Cuff scattered four hits and struck out three to improve to 2-1 on the year. Guin had a game-high three hits while Farfan and Atwell added two hits apiece. Five Lady Muleriders collected two RBIs. Dow walked three times to go along with her 1^st inning two-run homerun in her only official at-bat.
 
Southern Arkansas now prepares for Great American Conference play as they welcome in Northwestern Oklahoma St. on Friday, February 20 for a home-opening doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. followed by a Saturday doubleheader scheduled for 11 a.m.