BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Southern Arkansas rode their red-hot offense along with the arms of tournament MVP Shelby Miller and Hanna Gill to capture the school's first conference softball championship with pair of victories over Southeastern Oklahoma State.
The Muleriders grabbed 4-0 and 8-0 victories on Saturday afternoon as they emerged from the loser's bracket to grab the Great American Conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division II softball playoffs.
SAU (38-24) used a quick start in game one to force the second championship contest. Miller and Maddie Dow started the game off with back-to-back home runs. Miller was also dominant in the circle, firing a three-hit shutout with five strikeouts and only one walk.
|| Game 1 Box Score || Game 2 Box Score ||
A five-run explosion in the first inning, followed by three more in the second was all that Southern Arkansas needed in game two. Miller doubled and scored twice, while Sarah Higginbotham also had a pair of hits and as many RBI. Hanna Gill went the route to earn the shutout, fanning one and scattering three hits.
Southern Arkansas, which has established a school record for season victories, will find out their tournament destination on Monday morning. Southeastern Oklahoma State (38-17), which entered the tournament ranked seventh in the Central Region, will also learn their at-large selection fate on Monday.
2014 All-GAC Tournament Team
Shelby Miller (Southern Arkansas) - Most Valuable Player
Maddie Dow (Southern Arkansas)
Sarah Higginbotham (Southern Arkansas)
Hanna Gill (Southern Arkansas)
Laramie Beal (Southeastern Oklahoma State)
Mindy McElroy (Southeastern Oklahoma State)
Haley Strawn (Southeastern Oklahoma State)
Amber Klug (Henderson State)
Kayla Williams (Henderson State)
Amber Rollins (Harding)
Jordynn VanPelt (East Central)
Channing Tharpe (Arkansas-Monticello)