RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Bulldogs fell in a pair of games against the Golden Suns of Arkansas Tech on Friday night in Great American Conference action. The first game ended in a 9-0 run-rule after six innings in favor of ATU, before the Bulldogs saw a comeback bid fall short in the second game 3-2.
Game 1: ATU 9, SWOSU 0Box Score It was a slow start to the first game, with
Rileigh Ricken keeping the Golden Suns off the board through the first two innings. However, Tech got on the board first in the bottom of the third thanks to a two-run home run over the left field fence.
After walking in a run with bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth with two outs,
Laura Wilson entered the circle in relief of Ricken. Wilson's first pitch was wild, allowing another runner to score and push the advantage to 4-0. She would walk another two batters before getting out of the inning. ATU held a 6-0 lead headed into the fifth.
SWOSU had their best opportunity to get on the board in the top of the sixth. However, with
Courtney Miller and
Samantha Perry on in scoring position,
Kendall Smith hit a ground ball that allowed ATU to escape the inning. The Golden Suns hit a three-run home run over the right field fence in the bottom of the inning to earn the run-rule victory.
Ricken took her eighth loss of the season in the first game of the day. SWOSU recorded four hits in the game, with
Tori Hawk and Perry each going 1-2 at the plate. The Bulldogs left seven runners stranded in the loss.
Game 2: ATU 3, SWOSU 2Box Score Tech got on the board quickly in the second game of the day, recording two runs in the bottom of the first against
Molly Vivo. The Golden Suns tacked on another run in the bottom of the second to make it 3-0 before SWOSU pitched a shutout the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs got their first run of the day when
Ashley Filer was able to steal home and make the scoreline 3-1. However, on the same play,
Makensy Payne was caught in a rundown between first and second while attempting to steal and was caught out to end the inning.
Two innings later,
Adrienne Martinez served as the lead-off batter and sent a solo bomb over the centerfield fence. With the lead cut to 3-2, SWOSU looked set to tie the game with Smith in scoring position on third with two outs. Unfortunately, Payne struck out swinging to allow Arkansas Tech to escape the inning with the lead intact. Both teams went scoreless during their next at-bats, with ATU pulling out their second win of the day.
Vivo picked up her seventh loss of the season as a result of the game. The Bulldogs picked up six hits in the outing, led by Martinez who went 2-3 at the plate with one run and one RBI. SWOSU left six stranded in the game.
SWOSU falls to 1-13 in conference play as a result of Friday's doubleheader. The team will return to action tomorrow for another two games against the Golden Suns. First pitch is scheduled for 12 pm.
