BENTONVILLE, Ark. – A valiant effort from the SWOSU Softball team came up just short as the Bulldogs fell 8-5 to No. 14-ranked Arkansas Tech in a GAC Tournament elimination game on Saturday morning at the Tiger Athletic Complex in Bentonville.
 
The game was suspended in the third inning on Friday tied 4-4, which was where the score would stay until the bottom of the fourth when ATU took their first lead of the game with a two-out, two-run triple which resulted in a pair of unearned runs for Tech.
 
The Bulldogs would trail 6-4 heading into the sixth inning, when Kaytlin Donaldson led off the inning with a double before scoring on an RBI single from Ashtyn McAdoo. Amanda Moreno added a single and forced ATU to change pitcher before Hannah Franklin walked to load the bases. With two outs in the inning, Samantha Householder lined a shot into right center field which would've given the Bulldogs the lead if it reached the ground, but ATU's centerfielder made a diving catch to help preserve the Golden Suns lead.
 
Momentum remained with Tech into the bottom of the inning as they pieced together a double and home run to extend their lead to 8-5. Down to their final three outs, SWOSU managed to get one runner aboard on an error but they were unable to manage any further offense against ATU.
 
In a game that spanned almost 24 hours, SWOSU finished with nine hits, getting a 3-for-4 performance from Moreno while Ashtyn McAdoo was 2-for-3 with one RBI. Sidney Kirk and Hannah Morris each had home runs on Friday which accounted for the first four runs in the contest.
 
Miranda Grover (3-5) pitched the final 5.2 innings of the contests and took the loss after allowing four earned runs on six hits.
 
SWOSU concludes the 2019 season with a record of 21-33, which represents their most wins since 2012 and the program showed significant improvement with a postseason appearance for the first since 2013. GAC Coach of the Year Kim Maher will welcome back three of SWOSU's four All-GAC selections for the 2020 season.