MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas softball team out-scored Southwestern Oklahoma 16-1 and limited SWOSU to just six hits over both ends of Saturday afternoon's doubleheader as SAU swept the twin-bill with an 8-0 win in five innings in the opener, and then an 8-1 win in game two. The DH sweep on Saturday also gave SAU a clean sweep over SWOSU in the four-game series.
 
In the opener, SAU (18-2, 10-2 GAC) got on the board early and in an emphatic way as Ashton Atwell roasted a two-out, three-run homerun out to left-centerfield in the bottom of the first inning, scoring Brooke Goad and Taylor Guin.
 
The early three-run lead would prove to be more than enough for game one starter Kimmy Beasley as the senior left-hander would go on to hold the Bulldogs (4-18, 2-10 GAC) out of the run column while scattering just two hits and striking out seven en route to her 10th win of the season.
 
Beasley's stat line would only cover five innings pitched as the Lady Muleriders' offense would go on to tack on five more runs with a single run coming in the second and a four-spot coming in the fourth, to help invoke the 8-after-5 innings run-rule.
 
The run in the second came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Goad, while the four-run fourth featured a RBI walk by Guin, a groundout RBI by Dow, and a two-run scoring error in Atwell's at-bat as the centerfielder dropped a fly ball off the bat of Atwell.
 
In the second game of the day, the Bulldogs turned to the short game in order to try and manufacture some offense as they attempted six bunts with two of those going for hits and another accounting for their lone run as it was a safety squeeze bunt that scored Tori Hawk back in the top of the first inning.
 
Prior to that run-scoring sac bunt, Hawk had single-handedly placed herself in that position as drew a leadoff walk from SAU game two starter Kaylee Garner. After she walked, Hawk successfully stole second and third base to set up the safety squeeze play.
 
Despite giving up the early run, Garner would settle in and held the Bulldogs scoreless for the remainder of the game.
 
As Garner was controlling the game in the circle, the Lady Muleriders' offense would back her with a single run in the bottom of the first on a RBI double by Darian Harris and then a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth gave Garner and SAU a one-run lead, 2-1.
 
After a scoreless fifth and the game still 2-1 in favor of SAU, the Lady Muleriders would rip the game open with six runs on six hits in the bottom of the sixth to make it an 8-1 game.
 
In that pivotal inning, SAU would get a RBI single from Atwell, score a run on a wild pitch, a two-run double from Hudgins, and a two-run homerun from Goad to cap the breakout inning.
 
Now staked to a comfortable lead, Garner came back out in the circle and sealed the deal on her eighth win and sixth complete game of the season as she retired the side in order. Highlighting that 1-2-3 frame were a pair of spectacular diving catches by Chelsea Jordan as she held down the hot corner at third base.
 
The Lady Muleriders are scheduled to play a home mid-week non-conference doubleheader at home against Christian Brothers this upcoming Tuesday. First-pitch for the twin-bill is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the SAU Softball Complex.