Arkansas Tech University opened Great American Conference softball play in dominating fashion on Friday and Saturday.
The Golden Suns (12-1 overall, 4-0 GAC) outscored Ouachita Baptist University by a cumulative score of 33-7 while sweeping four games from the Lady Tigers at Sully Anderson Field in Arkadelphia.
Arkansas Tech will make its 2016 home debut when it hosts Henderson State University for a four-game GAC series at the Chartwells Women’s Sports Complex in Russellville on Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.
Game One: Tech 8, OBU 1
Five Arkansas Tech runs in the top of the first inning were a harbinger of things to come in an 8-1 victory over Ouachita Baptist in the series opener on Friday.
Tech’s Sarah Coronado went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and one run batted in. Ashley Savage and Janie Knowles both had two hits and two RBIs for the Golden Suns. Megan Goodnight added two runs batted in, while Gaby Vasquez and Sydnie Henson added two hits apiece.
Jalissa Gum (3-0) started in the circle and struck out five Lady Tigers in four innings. Kelsie Barker and Bailey Shaffer combined to pitch three scoreless innings of relief for Arkansas Tech.
OBU starter Macy Nantz (4-1) allowed eight runs, six of which were earned, on 13 hits in seven innings.
Game Two: Tech 11, OBU 3
Arkansas Tech took advantage of four Ouachita Baptist errors to cruise to a mercy rule-shortened 11-3 win in Friday’s second game.
The Golden Suns plated nine unearned runs in the victory. Knowles hit a two-run home run. Alex Edinger, Gum and Savage had one RBI apiece. Henson recorded a game-high three base hits. Edinger and Coronado notched two hits apiece.
Tech starter Morgan Vaughan (5-0) pitched three scoreless and hitless innings before giving way to Goodnight, who recorded the final six outs.
OBU starting pitcher Marissa Butler (0-1) allowed 11 runs, two of which were earned, on 10 hits in two and two-thirds innings.
Game Three: Tech 10, OBU 2
Vasquez’s RBI single in the top of the third inning opened the floodgates in a 10-2 Arkansas Tech victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Suns went on to score five runs in the third. They added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings before tacking on three more in the top of the seventh.
Destiny Crumpley went 4-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Arkansas Tech. Edinger, Coronado and Savage each contributed two RBIs.
Sydnee Clark (2-1) started in the circle and earned the win for the Golden Suns. She worked six innings and allowed two runs on six hits.
Kelsey O’Brien (2-3) gave up five Arkansas Tech runs on five hits in two-plus innings.
Game Four: Tech 4, OBU 1
Barker and Vaughan combined to hold Ouachita Baptist to four hits as Arkansas Tech completed the series sweep with a 4-1 win on Saturday.
Barker (1-0) limited the Lady Tigers to one run on three hits in five innings. Vaughan provided two scoreless innings of relief.
Crumpley had an RBI single in the second inning, Gum hit a solo home run in the third inning and Vasquez brought in two runs with a single in the fourth inning.
Butler (0-2) went the distance in the circle for Ouachita. She was charged with four runs on 11 hits.
