SEARCY, Ark. – SWOSU Softball finished the opening week of Great American Conference play with a record of 0-4 despite playing close with No. 12-ranked Harding in the series finale.
On Monday, the Bulldogs suspended game with Harding was completed as the Lady Bisons held on to win 11-3 (5 inn.) before they swept the originally scheduled games by scores of 6-0 and 3-2 in 10 innings.
SWOSU Softball (0-10, 0-4 GAC) returns to action on Wednesday when they play their home opener against Central Oklahoma. That doubleheader is set to begin at 1:00 pm from the Athletic Complex in Weatherford.
Harding 6, SWOSU 0
Box Score (html)
Harding scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and three more in the fourth as they pulled away to win the first game on Monday. SWOSU was held to just three hits in the game – all singles – while Harding had three extra-base hits and 10 total.
The Lady Bisons put the pressure on SWOSU with three runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning, also taking advantage of an error on the Dawgs for two of the runs to be unearned. Harding increased their lead to 6-0 after scoring three runs on five hits in the bottom of the fourth.
Miranda Grover (0-2) allowed 10 hits and six runs – four earned – in a complete-game effort.
Harding 3, SWOSU 2 (10 inn.)
Box Score (html)
An unearned run in the bottom of the 10th inning proved to be the difference after both teams took turns making plays defensively to keep the other off the board. SWOSU scored first, getting back-to-back RBI singles from
Amanda Moreno and
Allyson Gafford in the third inning to take a 2-0 lead, but Harding had an answer with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the third to keep the game tied.
From that point until the final run was scored, neither team could push a run across the plate despite having many chances. Harding loaded the bases in the seventh, but
Rileigh Ricken got a groundout to end the threat and send the game into extra innings. SWOSU got one baserunner in the eighth before being retired, but again Harding loaded the bases and threatened to end the game before Ricken got a groundout to first base to end another Lady Bisons threat.
In the ninth inning, it was SWOSU who was on the verge of taking the lead after singles from
Kennedy Stewart,
Hannah Franklin and
Sidney Kirk loaded the bases with one out. Harding made a pitching change at that point and got a groundout and popup to get out of the jam. The Lady Bisons got one runner on in the bottom of the ninth, using a one-out walk, stolen base and wild pitch to move the runner over to third before Ricken again got a groundout to extend the game.
A two-out error by Harding allowed Gafford to reach base in the top of the 10th, but SWOSU was unable to move her any closer and sent the game to the bottom of the 10th still tied. Harding's leadoff batter in the 10th hit a pitch high into left field, where Stewart was camped out but she was unable to make the catch and record the out. The runner advanced to second, which was close enough for her to score on a one-out single into right center that ended the game in walkoff fashion.
Ricken (0-3) took the tough-luck loss despite allowing just 10 hits and two earned runs over 9.1 innings of work.
