RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – SWOSU Softball won Saturday's rubber match against Arkansas Tech 4-2 and in doing so, clinched a spot in the upcoming 2025 GAC Softball Championship for the first time since 2019.
The Bulldogs finish the regular season 22-24 overall, representing the most wins since 2012 when the team posted a 32-20 mark. They were 10-4 in the month of April. SWOSU ended 14-19 in conference play dating back to February.
The Bulldogs will await their final seeding verdict, depending on the results of Arkansas-Monticello's series against Southern Nazarene. SWOSU will either be the No. 7 or 8 seed. If UAM loses any of their three games against SNU, the Bulldogs will finish as the seven seed. If UAM sweeps, the Dawgs will be the eight seed.
On Saturday, SWOSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in their first at-bat, led 3-1 after scoring two more in the fourth, and finished off the day's scoring in the sixth with another solo run.
Leading 4-2 in the seventh, the Bulldogs hung on to win it as Alexis Taylor stranded the bases loaded to end the game. Taylor pitched 3.2 innings in relief of Jaycee McKee who threw into the fourth inning before making her exit.
Chesnie Hewitt set the tone early with a lead off double to start the game. She was small balled over to third before Jadyn Hook did what was needed for a sacrifice fly to plate the run.
Tech answered in the bottom half. A two-out double tied the game at 1-1 before the runner was thrown out trying to extend the extra-base hit even further to third.
SWOSU loaded the bases in the fourth and got two runs courtesy of an RBI single from Kaylee Barkley and another RBI from Emily Wedel.
The Golden Suns answered right back again in their half of the fourth with one more run. Three straight ATU singles loaded the bases and chased McKee from the game. Taylor entered and limited Tech's damage by allowing just one of those runs to cross.
Katie Boline doubled in a run in the sixth to push the lead out to 4-2. It allowed additional breathing room for when things eventually got dicey in the bottom of the seventh.
The SWOSU lineup finished with seven hits, compared to Tech's five. Those seven hits came from four players, three of who had two apiece. Hewitt (2-4), Hook (2-2), and Boline led the Dawgs on the day.
With SWOSU's season extended, more information regarding the postseason tournament including dates, times, and opponent will be forthcoming. Be sure to follow SWOSU Athletic social media pages and check www.swosuathletics.com for additional information.
The tournament spans May 1-3 in Bentonville, Arkansas.
