MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Behind 18 hits, the second-most by the squad this season, and solid pitching, (RV) Southern Arkansas knocked off Arkansas-Monticello 10-4 on Rivalry Tuesday from Dawson Field inside the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex. The Muleriders improve to 28-12 through 40 games and move eight games above .500 in Great American Conference play. SAU is in fourth place in the league standings, three games back of first place, with nine GAC games remaining.
The Muleriders won the first two games of the series on March 14
th with wins of 5-1 and 9-2 in Monticello.
After two quick outs in the top of the first inning, the Blossoms recorded three consecutive singles to load the bases off of SAU starter Bailey Thornhill. The right hander managed to work out of the jam as a fly out to center field sent the Blossoms away empty in the visiting half of the first.
Southern Arkansas struck first on a two-out RBI single by
Courtney Storey.
Alyssa Miller singled up the middle to lead off the bottom half of the opening frame. A sacrifice bunt by
Ariana Rolle moved Miller to second and the leadoff batter would take third on a ground out by
Jaxynn Dyson before Storey plated her for a 1-0 lead.
The two sides traded long balls as UAM took the lead with a two-run homerun off the bat of Kennedy Cox in the top of the third inning, before
Regan Dillon blasted a three-run shot in the bottom half of the third to give the Muleriders a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning. SAU added to it on an RBI double off the bat of
Emily Shipman who led the Muleriders with a four-hit day.
UAM pushed across its final run in the fourth as Cox drove in two more with a single to pull the Blossoms to within one run of the SAU lead at 5-4.
The Muleriders responded in the bottom half of the inning and opened up the contest as Dyson singled home Rolle, Dillon plated Dyson and
Kamryn Moctezuma placed one off the scoreboard for a two-run dinger as SAU plated four in the sixth to take a 9-4 lead. Shipman singled in the final run in the sixth.
Thornhill worked two innings allowing five hits and two runs.
Sydney Ward took over for her staff mate and pitched five innings scattering five hits and two runs with seven strikeouts as she won her 15
th game of the season.
Storey and Moctezuma enjoyed three-hit days to follow Shipman in the category. Rolle, Dillon, and
Mariah Hamilton all collected two hits. Dillon paced SAU with four RBI with Shipman and Moctezuma accounting for two each. Moctezuma scored three runs with Rolle and Dillon crossing twice.
