ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - #10 Southern Arkansas Lady Mulerider Softball team dominated in its 2018 season debut as Sophomore pitcher Victoria Taylor threw a complete game shutout that saw her mark a career-high 13 strikeouts to lift SAU to a 3-0 win over Southwest Baptist in game one, followed by a run-rule victory over Northeastern State, 9-1, led by Senior Brooke Goad's four RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1-Southwest Baptist)

• Through the first three innings of action, Taylor registered six strikeouts to keep the Southwest Baptist offense off of the scoreboard as the Lady Muleriders would be the first to break the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third.
• In that frame, Freshman Sarah Pitre drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second base later on Rachel Miller's bunt single that placed her in scoring position. Senior Kiara Bonner would be the one to plate Pitre in the next at-bat as she laced a pitch out to the centerfield wall to give SAU its 1-0 lead over the Bearcats.
• SAU added another run in the next inning as Sophomore Faith Otts banged a double into the left-centerfield gap that plated Senior Marina Duran who led the inning off with a walk.
• The Bearcats stranded a runner in the top of the fifth after leading off that frame with a double to centerfield and the Lady Muleriders would plate their final run of the game in the bottom of that frame on a solo blast over the left field wall off the bat of Senior Jill Roye to lead 3-0.
• In the final two innings, Southwest Baptist had their lead runner on the base paths, but Sophomore Pitcher Victoria Taylor would keep the Bearcats from scoring as she racked up an additional four strikeouts in those innings to shutout SBU, 3-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2-Northeastern State)

• SAU's offensive power exploded early in game two as Miller blasted a solo shot out to left field in the first inning that put SAU on the board first, 1-0.
• Bonner followed her up with a double to centerfield and was plated shortly after on Goad's 2-run Bomb over the left-centerfield wall that extended SAU's lead out to 3-0.
• Junior starting pitcher Jenny Hittinger registered her third strikeout of the game in the next frame to send the Lady Muleriders into their explosive second-inning surge that saw them tack on four additional runs.
• In the bottom of that frame, back-to-back singles from Otts and Pitre, followed by a free base to Miller, loaded the bases for Southern Arkansas as the first of those four runs would come on a batted ball out to left field by Bonner, 4-0 SAU.
• That sequence would then bring Goad up to the plate where she would tally her fourth RBI of the game on a single to bring the Lady Mulerider lead to 6-0.
• Monica Islava plated SAU's last run in that frame with a single up the middle that plated Bonner.
• Hittinger tallied four more strikeouts in the next two innings to leave the Riverhawks scorless through four innings of action and SAU would put the run-rule in effect in the bottom of that frame after tacking on two additional runs to lead, 9-0.
• A leadoff homer in the top of the fifth scratched NSU's first and only run of the game as the Riverhawks stranded three base runners in the frame after Junior pitcher Brooke Ford-Nelson came in relief and retired the final batter with a looking strikeout in her Lady Mulerider debut.

OF NOTE

• SAU's offense combined for 12 runs off of 14 hits in today's doubleheader
• Taylor registered the win in the circle for SAU in game one with a career-high 13 strikeouts as she surrendered no runs on five hits through seven innings pitched
• Hittinger clinched her first career win in the circle as a Lady Mulerider as she allowed just one run on three hits in four innings pitched in game two
• Hittinger also had seven strikeouts
• Nelson came on in relief in the fifth inning of game two and allowed just one hit and no runs