MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas softball team took advantage of a late schedule addition as they swept a midweek doubleheader against NAIA member Avila on Tuesday afternoon in Magnolia that included a 9-1 run-rule victory in game one and a seven run fourth inning in an 11-8 game two comeback win.
The Lady Muleriders (14-7) received two solid outings in the circle from freshman
Jami Godwin (3-0) and junior
Chancy Williams (4-4) as both pitchers benefitted from ten hit performances by the SAU offense.
In game one, Avila plated an early run in the top of the second inning, but after Godwin worked an eight-pitch third inning, the Lady Muleriders provided much needed run support in the bottom half.
Maddie Dow reached and advanced to second on an infield error with one out in the bottom of the third. With two outs,
Audrey Farfan singled home Dow to tie the contest at 1, before
Sarah Higginbotham belted a solo homerun to left field to give SAU a 2-1 lead.
A quick top of the fourth by Godwin set up a four-run inning for SAU. With runners at first and second in the home half, consecutive one-out walks scored a run and set up a two-run double from the bat of
Ashton Atwell to push the Lady Muleriders' advantage to 6-1. Farfan added the fourth run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to pad the SAU at to 6, 7-1.
Williams relieved Godwin in the fifth and induced a pair of groundouts and a pop out and in the bottom half the Lady Muleriders would scratch another run on a sac fly by
Courtney Hudgins. Williams worked around a lead-off single in the top of the sixth and Southern Arkansas ended the game in the home half via the run-rule.
After a lead-off double, Atwell advanced to third on a wild pitch and would score the game-ending run on a
Chelsea Ivy single.
Avila scored four runs in the first inning off of SAU starter
Miranda Cuff in the second game. Atwell cut the lead down to three with her ninth homerun of the year; a solo shot in the bottom half of the first.
Williams came on in relief of Cuff and worked a hitless second inning and SAU again answered with a solo homerun in the home half as Higginbotham lined her second homerun of the day over the left field fence to pull SAU within a pair of runs, 4-2.
The Eagles answered with a big third inning that plated three runs on two hits, and a pair of errors before Williams worked around a bases loaded jam to minimize the damage.
Down 7-2 in the bottom of the fourth, Southern Arkansas mounted their second-largest comeback of the season with a seven-run outing to take a 9-7 lead. Ivy led-off the inning with a walk, but after two quick outs it appeared to be another quick inning for SAU offensively. The Lady Muleriders used four hits, three walks, a hit-by-pitch and an error all with two outs to take the two-run lead.
Three quick groundouts to Ivy at second base ended the visiting half of the fifth as SAU added an insurance run in the bottom half of the fifth and sixth innings on an RBI single by Higginbotham and a sacrifice fly by Dow, respectively.
Williams worked a perfect seventh to pick up the win in 6.1 innings of work. Six different Lady Muleriders recorded multi-hit performances on the day. Ivy recorded three hits in the game one win and Higginbotham and Dow each drove in three runs in the second game.
The Lady Muleriders return to action this weekend with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday, followed by a Saturday doubleheader scheduled to start at noon. Check out muleriderathletics.com throughout the week for updates and possible schedule changes to the weekend series.
