MAGNOLIA, Ark. – A five hit, six run first inning from No. 15 Southern Arkansas set the tone for the remainder of Saturday's NCAA Division II Central Region II Tournament as the Lady Muleriders suppressed a rally by No. 11 Missouri Western to win 13-5 via run-rule after junior designated player
Maddie Dow ended the game in the fifth inning on a three-run blast that sent SAU to the Central Region Super Regional.
The Lady Muleriders (49-9) advance to the Central Region's Super Regional hosted by top-seeded and No. 7 Arkansas Tech on Wednesday, May 11 and Thursday, May 12. Tech won the Central Region I tournament with a 1-0 win over Upper Iowa. It will be a best-of-three series with the winner advancing to the NCAA Division II College Softball World Series in Denver, Colorado.
Senior starting pitcher
Kimmy Beasley picked up her 24
th win of the season and also became just the second pitcher to reach the 200-plus strikeout mark in a single season in program history, which she claimed after fanning the game's first batter. Beasley worked through 4.1 innings of action in Saturday's sub-regional final allowing five hits and five runs. However, through three innings of play the left-hander was untouchable as she retired the first nine batters she faced with seven of those coming via strikeout.
Peyton Jenkins picked up the action in the circle as she entered with one away in the fifth inning. The junior surrendered just two hits as she suppressed a Griffon rally in the fifth inning that saw the MIAA-club cut their deficit in half, before the final blow was delivered by Dow.
The Missouri Western rally came up short due in large part to the six-run first inning that sent 10 Lady Muleriders to the plate. History was made in the top of the first as
Brooke Goad launched a one-out two-run homerun to right centerfield that put Southern Arkansas up 2-0 early and placed Goad atop the single-season home run chart at Southern Arkansas with 22; one-more than Dow's 21 in 2014.
Ashton Atwell,
Tyler Casada and
Summer Ehrig all added RBI hits in the frame as SAU cruised to a 6-0 lead after one inning of play.
With two outs in the second inning, Atwell singled home
Darian Harris to put SAU up 7-0, before Southern Arkansas tacked on three-runs in the third inning. In that third inning,
Chelsea Jordan led-off with a base hit and four batters later Goad would single home a pair of runs with two outs to put SAU's lead to 9-0. Dow concluded scoring in the frame with an RBI base knock to centerfield that chased home Goad.
The Griffons would plate two in the fourth and three in the fifth inning as they began to gain some momentum, before SAU ended the contest in the fifth. With one out, a four-pitch walk to Goad and Harris' second hit-by-pitch of the game put runners at first and second with the walk-off run at the plate in the form of Dow, who left the yard for the 17
th time in 2016 off of a 1-0 offering.
All nine starters recorded a hit including two each from Atwell, Casada, Dow and Goad. Goad and Harris each scored three runs and Dow added a pair of runs scored. Dow and Goad have combined for 39 homeruns this season and each supplied four RBI in Saturday's sub-region final, while Atwell and Ehrig added two RBI apiece.
Game times for No. 15 Southern Arkansas' Super Regional matchup with No. 7 Arkansas Tech will be announced as soon as possible.
Be sure to check www.MuleriderAthletics.com or follow us on Twitter @MuleriderSports for the most up-to-date news on Lady Mulerider Softball, including continuing coverage of Southern Arkansas' postseason run.
