OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - #16 Southern Arkansas added two more tallies to the win column on Friday at the Raising Cane's Softball Festival. The Muleriders edged Nebraska-Kearney 6-5 in the opener, before putting away Fort Hays State 8-2.
Baylie Thornhill earned her third win of the season in relief of
Morgan McAlexander in the first game. Thornhill scattered four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
Sydney Ward earned the save in the contest as UNK pushed across two runs in the seventh, but left the tying run at second. Ward then picked up her sixth win of the season as she worked her fourth complete game allowing five hits, two runs and a pair of walks, while striking out seven.
Kamryn Moctezuma cut into an early two-run lead by UNK with a second-inning RBI and
Emily Shipman tied the game at 2-2 in the third with RBI contact. A groundout from the bat of
Ariana Rolle pushed SAU ahead 3-2 and the lead grew to 5-2 after
Regan Dillon homered to right center. An RBI single in the fifth from the Lopers cut the deficit to two, but SAU responded in the seventh as
Jaxynn Dyson scored on a wild pitch for a very important sixth run and a three-run advantage as UNK played two in the bottom half before Ward was able to fend off the Lopers in her second career relief appearance.
The Muleriders recorded a dozen hits in the second game as RBI doubles from Dillon and
Gracie King and a two-run blast by Shipman staked Ward to more than enough run support at 4-0 through a half inning of play.
RBI base hits from FHSU's Reese Curry in the second and seventh innings accounted for the Tigers' runs in the game.
Moctezuma left the yard out to right field to plate
Courtney Storey on a two-run blast in the fourth and King and Dyson both lifted solo blasts up and out in the seventh to cushion another quality outing by Ward.
King and
Mariah Hamilton each recorded two hits. King, Shipman and Moctezuma accounted for two RBI each. King scored two runs as seven of the nine hitters crossed home in game two. Dillon and Dyson with two each and Shipman with one were the tallies in the hit column in game one.
The biggest test of the season awaits on Saturday as the Muleriders meet a pair of top six opponents in defending national champion and No. 1 Rogers State (10:30 a.m.) and No. 6 Central Oklahoma (3:30 p.m.) from UCO's Gerry Pinkston Stadium. Live coverage links, including live video and live stats, are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
