MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas senior pitcher Kimmy Beasley earned a complete-game victory in game one of Friday's home doubleheader against Southwestern Oklahoma and then she came on in the top of the seventh inning of game two and shut the door on a 3-2 win for SAU as they swept the twin-bill from SWOSU.
 
In that opening game, Beasley was dialed in from the start as she racked up five strikeouts while holding SWOSU scoreless on just one hit over the first three innings of play. In the fourth, Beasley would allow her lone blemish of the game as the Bulldogs' Taya Haney hit a solo homerun out to centerfield.
 
After that homerun, however, Beasley locked back in as she struck out the next batter and induced a harmless grounder back to her in the circle to retire the side. In the top of the next inning, Beasley would make quick work of the Bulldog's hitters as she K'd the side for her seventh, eighth, and ninth strikeouts of the game. Beasley would pick up one more strikeout in her final inning in the sixth to bring her to double-digits for the third time this season.
 
In support of Beasley's start, the Lady Muleriders (16-2, 8-2 GAC) would get on the scoreboard in a big way in the bottom of the second inning as leadoff hitter Brooke Goad launched her ninth homerun of the year. This one, a three-run shot to give SAU a 3-0 lead.
 
The next half inning was when the Bulldogs would pick up their lone run of the game, but SAU got that run back, plus one, as they scored twice in the bottom of the fourth. In that frame, Maddie Dow would single up the middle to score Liz Hudgins and Darian Harris promptly followed that up with an opposite-field double to left-center, scoring Goad.
 
In the next at-bats for SAU, they continued to tack on runs as they plated three in the fifth make it an 8-1 game. In that inning, all three of SAU's runs would score without the benefit of a hit as Goad drew a bases loaded walk which was followed by a bases loaded groundout by Taylor Guin, which was then followed up with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dow.
 
Another scoreless top half of an inning in the sixth by Beasley set the stage for the Lady Muleriders to invoke the eight-after-five run rule in the bottom of the frame as Hudgins hit an infield single to score the ninth run for SAU, ending the game in six.
 
In the nightcap, SAU would once more jump out to an early lead as they scored twice in the third. In that inning, Guin would single home Hudgins while Harris drew a bases loaded walk.
 
A half inning later, however, SWOSU would tie the game at two-all as the benefited from a pair of SAU throwing errors.
 
In the bottom of that fourth inning, however, SAU would once more take the lead as pinch-runner Kim Whelehon scored from third on a wild pitch, making it 3-2, SAU.
 
Now staked to another lead, this one a one-run cushion, game two starter Kaylee Garner would retire the Southwestern side in order in the fifth and sixth innings.
 
Offensively, the Lady Muleriders were unable to add any insurance runs and so in the top of the seventh, SAU head coach chose to go to the bullpen and bring Beasley back out for the possible save situation.
 
Once in the game, Beasley picked up right where she left off in the first game as she got a quick first out and then shut the door on the Bulldogs with consecutive strikeouts to end the game, earning her and the team's first save of the season in the process.
 
The Lady Muleriders will now look to claim the series against the Bulldogs tomorrow as they are both back at it for a doubleheader which is set to begin at noon at the SAU Softball Complex.