BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Great American Conference Championship Tournament's semifinal round took place on Friday, May 2, and debuting for the round were the top-seeded Muleriders of Southern Arkansas and the fourth-seeded Harding Lady Bisons. The two squads had their fourth meeting this season at the Tiger Athletic Complex after the Blue and Gold took all three of the regular season while inside the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex. 

Southern Arkansas took game four as well in an all-around defensive battle to the very end with a final score of 2-1. 

In the fourth meeting between the two in-state foes, the Lady Bisons gained the advantage early within the top of the second inning after Jadyn Booth scored an unearned run on a passed ball that followed Emma Curry striking out, 1-0. 

Harding's Brooklyn Gobble got the start and completed the game in which she recorded six strikeouts and only three hits. Gobble started hot as she kept the Muleriders cold through four innings until Jenna Huey broke the silence in the bottom of the fifth with a lead-off solo shot to tie the game and her second home run in both contests thus far into the GAC Tournament. Following Huey was Payton Owens that walked and advanced to second after the first out and Regan Dillon walking to first. After the second out of the half inning, America Rubio singled up the middle to centerfield to score Owens before the end of the fifth. The Muleriders led 2-1 and that was all the group needed to claim their ticket to the Great American Conference Tournament Championship game set for 12:30 PM tomorrow. 

After a slow start, Brinson Rogers surrendered just one run (unearned), one walk, and allowed seven hits. The senior accounted for five strikeouts in the outing and has reached 280 strikeouts this season after her 25th complete game this season. 

Next Up

The Grand Finale to the Great American Conference Tournament comes in the form of game three between the top-seeded Muleriders and the second-seeded Oklahoma Baptist Bison after OBU defeated third-seeded Southern Nazarene in an absolute thriller of a matchup between rivals, in which saw the deciding factor being a three-run bomb to walk it off for the Bison in the bottom of the seventh for the final score of 6-4. 

Southern Arkansas and Oklahoma Baptist finally get to make up their third game from the regular season that was cancelled due to weather and will be set for a 12:30 PM start time back inside the Tiger Athletics Complex at Bentonville High School.