Arkadelphia, Ark. – The second-ranked SAU Softball team opened their 2019 account on perfect terms – a 7-0 victory which saw ace Victoria Taylor throw the school's first perfect game since Opening Day 2016 and fourth all-time against Southwest Baptist in the first day of the Ronnie Hawkins Memorial.

With today's performance, Taylor ties the school's all-time record for most career wins, currently at 52, held jointly by Taylor and Hanna Gill, who pitched for the Muleriders from 2012 to 2014. The first seven-inning perfect game since April 30, 2004 also sees Taylor move into sole possession of third place for the most shutouts in school history, with 14.

Taylor struck out the side in the third, sixth and seventh en route to 12 strikeouts on the night – ten of which were swinging strikeouts. The 12 strikeouts comes up one short of Taylor's career high when she struck out 13 Southwest Baptist batters on Opening Day 2018.

In two games against the Bearcats, Taylor has pitched 14 innings, only giving up five hits and one walk while striking out 25 batters.

The Muleriders' potent offense backed up Taylor's perfect game, with first baseman Chelsea Fagan hitting a three-run homerun in the fifth inning that put the Muleriders up 5-0 as the Bearcats committed three errors that led directly to six unearned Mulerider runs.

Center fielder Rachel Miller drew three walks and scored two runs and catcher Laina Suesue scored twice despite going 0-3 from the plate.

Elisa Favela, Savannah Martinez and Shelby Fleming all recorded a hit in addition to Fagan's home run as the Muleriders mustered the only four hits in the game.

The Muleriders play in a double-header tomorrow to conclude their participation in the Ronnie Hawkins Memorial – a 3 p.m. first pitch against Rogers State followed by a game against Missouri S&T.