MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The No. 5-ranked Southern Arkansas softball team swept "Senior Day" over Harding on Sunday afternoon with a pair of dominant pitching performances and a combined 13-run offensive production that resulted in a 5-2 final decision victory in game one, and a walk-off run-rule win in the fifth inning of the series finale, 8-0, to secure the GAC series sweep over Harding, 4-0!
TEAM RECORDS
(#5) Southern Arkansas Lady Muleriders (42-4, 31-3 GAC)
Harding Lady Bisons (27-17, 19-15 GAC)
PITCHING DECISIONS – GAME 1
W –
Victoria Taylor (20-0)
L – Emily Garrett (8-4)
S – None
GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS
- Another successful start in the circle for Victoria Taylor saw the sophomore pitcher deal eight strikeouts through seven innings of work, and allow just a pair of runs on five hits to pick up her 20th-straight win of the season.
- Taylor appeared in three of the four games this weekend and combined for a total of 24 strikeouts through 18 innings of action.
- Harding benefitted from a fielding error early in the contest which plated the first run, unearned, and allowed the Lady Bison to jump out to a 1-0 lead in the first.
- SAU would get that run back immediately after loading the bases on a single and a pair of walks where they would plate one of those runs with an RBI single down the left field line from Marina Duran to make it 1-1.
- Brooke Goad plated the go-ahead run in the bottom of the second as she singled home Megan Godoyo to push SAU ahead, 2-1, and Rachel Miller cushioned the lead shortly after with an RBI single that made it 3-1.
- The Lady Muleriders added a pair of runs later in the game to jump out to a 5-1 advantage and Harding would add just one more run in its score column in the sixth as SAU secured the eventual victory at a 5-2 final decision.
AT THE PLATE
- Goad, Miller, Faith Otts, and Duran each talied an RBI in the contest
- Goad and Islava drew a pair of walks apiece
- Miller led the offense with three hits, an RBI and a run scored
PITCHING DECISIONS – GAME 2
W –
Jolie Trahan (5-0)
L – Emma Dwyer (10-8)
S – None
GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS
- SAU's offense came out hot in the final game as the Lady Mulerider bats put up six runs in the bottom of the first, all with the long ball, to jump out to a 6-0 lead over Harding.
- All three of those home runs in that inning were 2-run shots out to right-center field from Monica Islava, Duran, and Sarah Pitre, respectively.
- Goad led-off the second inning with a four-pitch walk and later scored the Lady Muleriders' seventh run on a fielder's choice off the bat of Otts to make it 7-0.
- Starting pitcher for SAU, Jolie Trahan, dominated in the circle as she allowed just one hit through the remainder of the contest following that inning to pace the Lady Muleriders' momentum.
- In the bottom of the fifth, SAU loaded the bases once more binging Rachel Miller to the plate who would answer with an RBI infield single that score the game-winning run and allowed SAU to secure the run-rule victory over Harding in walk-off fashion, 8-0.
AT THE PLATE
- Islava, Duran, and Pitre led the offensive production for SAU with a pair of RBIs each
- Miller and Otts each tallied an RBI
- Goad walked three times and collected a hit and a run scored
