Box Score MONTICELLO, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas Softball team split a "Rivalry Tuesday" Great American Conference doubleheader with Arkansas-Monticello on the road by winning the series opener 4-1, before dropping the second game 3-1 at Blossoms Field. The series will be decided on April 12 as the Lady Muleriders play host to UAM in a doubleheader scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Lady Muleriders (27-4, 19-4 GAC) received a quality outing from game one starter
Kaylee Garner (13-3) as she tossed seven complete innings for her 11
th complete game of the season. Garner carried a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning, before UAM (22-14, 17-9 GAC) scratched a run via lead-off home run and recorded two more base hits, before finally being retired by the junior right-hander as she worked around runners at second and third. Garner finished the day surrendering just four hits and giving up one earned run, while striking out six batters as she reached the century mark for strikeouts this season.
The series opener was scoreless through four complete innings of action, before a
Brooke Goad two-run double into the right centerfield gap plated
Summer Ehrig and
Darian Harris as both players reached via singles. With a 2-0 lead into the seventh, Harris added a pair of insurance runs with a two-RBI double that allowed pinch-runner
Kim Whelehon and
Taylor Guin to score.
In the second game, Southern Arkansas managed just one run as an infield single from the bat of
Maddie Dow scored Guin to give SAU an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The Blossoms answered the lone Lady Mulerider run in the home-half of the first on an RBI single, before a two run home run in the fourth inning by Holly Wilmarth gave UAM a two-run cushion, 3-1.
SAU starter
Kimmy Beasley (14-1) suffered her first loss of the year as she pitched 5.0 innings allowing eight hits and three earned runs, while striking out five batters.
Peyton Jenkins worked a scoreless sixth inning in the loss.
The Lady Muleriders combined for 14 hits on the afternoon as they remain in second place in the league standings; two games back of Arkansas Tech in the loss column.
Ashton Atwell and Harris collected three hits total on the day, while Ehrig and Guin added a pair of hits each. Goad and Harris each accounted for a pair of RBI. Guin led the team in runs scored on the afternoon with two.
Southern Arkansas now prepares to host Harding in a four game Great American Conference series beginning on Friday, April 1, at 2 p.m. The "Dawson Field Dedication" ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday before the series' first-pitch. Saturday's first-pitch of the DH is slated for noon. Series Notes for this weekend's pivotal league series will be released later this week.
Be sure to check
www.MuleriderAthletics.com or follow us on Twitter @MuleriderSports for the most up-to-date news on Lady Mulerider Softball.
