MAGNOLIA, Ark. – It was early-inning run production by Southern Arkansas in each game of Friday's Great American Conference doubleheader that proved to be the difference as the Lady Muleriders defeated Harding 4-0 and 7-5 on a windy day at the newly-dedicated Dawson Field inside the Mulerider Softball Complex.

The Lady Muleriders (29-4, 21-4 GAC) used a three-run first inning in the series opener and combined for seven runs in the first two innings of game two to sweep the DH against the Lady Bisons (25-15, 17-11 GAC). SAU remains in second place in a tight league race down the stretch, while Harding dropped to fifth place with less than a month remaining in the regular season.

Kimmy Beasley, Southern Arkansas' game one starter, earned her 15^th win of the season as she scattered just three hits, while surrendering no runs and no walks in her 13^th complete game of the year. The shutout is her sixth of 2016 and the senior lefty also picked up her second save of the season as she closed the door on the Lady Bisons by tossing a flawless 2.0 innings in relief of Kaylee Garner in game two.

Beasley finished with eight strikeouts in 9.0 innings of work, while Garner's 5.0 innings saw her 14^th win of the season as she collected six strikeouts, while allowing just four hits as she cruised through three innings, before Harding eventually found the run column, in large part due to wet conditions forcing a couple of wild pitches that plated the Lady Bisons first two runs of the afternoon.

The first four Lady Muleriders in the lineup reached base via hit to open the series, while a double from Brooke Goad and a single by Maddie Dow each plated a run, before a fielder's choice from the bat of Ashton Atwell pushed across the inning's third run off of HU starter Hannah Johnson.

The early lead would be more than enough for Beasley as a lead-off single in the fourth, a one-out base knock in the fifth frame, and a lead-off single and a hit-by-pitch in the sixth inning by Harding would stand as the only blemishes on Beasley's start. Goad would again double-home a run, this time in the fifth inning giving SAU their fourth and final run.

Goad's third run-scoring hit of the afternoon would come in her first at-bat of game two as the sophomore singled through the right side scoring Taylor Guin, who produced a four hit, four run day from the lead-off spot in the lineup.

Back-to-back singles through the left-side from Atwell and Tyler Casada scored Darian Harris and Goad respectively, as the Lady Muleriders engineered a three-run first inning off of Lady Bisons starter Ashley Smith.  A four-run inning followed for SAU as a throwing error on a Liz Hudgins swipe of second base allowed Summer Ehrig to score, before a hit-by-pitch to Dow with the bases loaded saw the fifth run cross for SAU.

Atwell's second fielder's choice of the day again resulted in a run as Southern Arkansas found an early 6-0 lead in game two. The game's next three runs, two by the Lady Bisons, would cross via wild pitch, as an aforementioned small spring shower quickly passed through the Columbia County area leaving softballs difficult to grip during that inning and a half of action.

A Peyton Mills base-clearing double looked to bring the Lady Bisons back, before Garner induced a fly-out to end the threat before giving way to Beasley who promptly shut the door.

Guin led SAU with four hits and four runs scored, while Goad added three hits and three runs scored. Atwell and Goad produced a team-best three RBIs each. SAU tallied 15 hits on the afternoon. Despite the windy and briefly wet conditions, the Lady Muleriders were perfect in the field behind Beasley and Garner.

The series between the Lady Bisons and Lady Muleriders will be decided with a doubleheader slated for high noon tomorrow, Saturday, April 2, at Dawson Field inside the Mulerider Softball Complex.

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