Southern Arkansas’ Kimmy Beasley won her 22nd game of the season, joining teammate Kaylee Garner and Michelle Sorensen for tops in the conference, en route to an 8-1 victory in an elimination game in the Great American Conference Softball Championships on Saturday from the Tiger Athletic Complex. Southern Arkansas defeated the Reddies for the fifth time in six tries this season.

2016 GAC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY TWO

By: Keith Kelley, GAC Communications

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 BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Southern Arkansas’ Kimmy Beasley won her 22nd game of the season, joining teammate Kaylee Garner and Michelle Sorensen for tops in the conference, en route to an 8-1 victory in an elimination game in the Great American Conference Softball Championships on Saturday from the Tiger Athletic Complex. Southern Arkansas defeated the Reddies for the fifth time in six tries this season.

 
 GAC Softball Championships - Game 13  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  R  H  E
 #2 Southern Arkansas (46-9)  1  0  4  0  2  0  1  8 14 1
 #6 Henderson State (35-25)  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  1  6  0
 
HOW THEY SCORED:
   SAU 1st – Maddie Dow singled to center field; Liz Hudgins scored.
   SAU 3rd – Ashton Atwell doubled to left center; Taylor Guin scored.
   SAU 3rd – Tyler Casada singled through the left side; Atwell scored.
   SAU 3rd – Chelsea Jordan doubled to right field; Sydney Johnson scored.
   SAU 5th – Jordan singled up the middle; Atwell scored.
   SAU 5th – Hudgins reached on a fielder’s choice; Casada scored.
   HSU 6th – Hope Patterson flied out to right field; Alexis Morton scored.
   SAU 7th – Summer Ehrig doubled to center field; Casada scored.
 
AT THE PLATE:
   SAU – Casada: 4-for-4, 2 R, RBI; Atwell: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI; Jordan: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
   HSU – Olivia Trapp: 2-for-3; Caroline Cullins: 1-for-2


ON THE MOUND:
  W – Beasley (22-4): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R/ 0 ER, 5 K/0 BB
   L – Michelle Sorensen (22-12): 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R/4 ER, 2 K/1 BB


NOTABLE:
  • SAU defeats HSU for the fifth time this season (5-1).
  • Sorensen finished the tournament with 28 strikeouts; two shy of the tournament record.
  • Beasley and Sorensen: 22 wins this year; tied with SAU pitcher Kaylee Garner for GAC lead.
  • Casada: Ninth player in GAC Championship history to record four hits in a game
  • SAU has not lost consecutive games all season long; 9-0 in games after suffering a loss; outscored opponents 58-22 in those games.
 
 WHAT’S NEXT:
  Southern Arkansas: Will face Harding in the Championship Game at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
  Henderson State: Eliminated.
 

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Henderson State’s Michelle Sorensen pitched her second-consecutive complete game en route to the Reddies’ 6-0 victory against No. 8 Arkansas Tech in the Great American Conference Softball Championships on Saturday from the Tiger Athletic Complex. The Reddies defeated the Golden Suns for the first time in five tries on the season.

 
 GAC Softball Championships - Game 12  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  R  H  E
 #1 Arkansas Tech (46-9)  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  4  3
 #6 Henderson State (35-25)  1  1  0  1  0  3  X  6  10  2
 

HOW THEY SCORED:
   HSU 1st – Morgan South walked; Courtney Warren scored.
   HSU 2nd – Hope Patterson walked; Caroline Cullins scored.
   HSU 4th – Keirsten Seahorn singled through the left side; Warren scored.
   HSU 6th – Cullins reached on a throwing error; South scored on the error.
   HSU 6th – Shayla Wright singled to center field; Ashleigh Erb scored.
   HSU 6th – Olivia Trapp singled up the middle; Wright scored.

  
AT THE PLATE:
   ATU – Chloe Clifton: 1-for-1; Ashley Anderson: 1-for-2
   HSU – Warren: 4-for-5, 2 R; Trap: 2-for-4, RBI; Wright: 1-for-3, R, RBI
 
ON THE MOUND:
  W – Michelle Sorensen (22-11): CG, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R/ 0 ER, 10 K/2 BB
   L – Sydnee Clark (4-4): 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R/3 ER, 2 K/7 BB

 
NOTABLE:
  • HSU’s Sorensen pitched her second-consecutive complete game for the day.
  • Sorensen’s 10 strikeout performance gives her 26 for the tournament; four shy of the tournament record.
  • HSU: Won its first game against ATU in five tries this season (ATU had outscored HSU 32-9 during the regular season.
  • HSU’s Warren batted .286 (4-for-14) versus ATU in the regular season; hit .800 (4-for-5) against ATU in the postseason.
  • HSU’s Sorensen won her 22nd game of the season; tied for first among GAC pitchers.

 WHAT’S NEXT:
  Arkansas Tech: Eliminated
  Henderson State: Will play Southern Arkansas in game 13, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday.
 

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Harding registered its second-consecutive victory against a top-25 opponent with a 5-4 win against Southern Arkansas in the winner’s bracket final of the 2016 Great American Conference Softball Championships on Saturday from the Tiger Athletic Complex. The Lady Bisons’ Hannah Johnson tossed a complete-game, five-hitter to earn the victory against the Lady Muleriders.

 
 GAC Softball Championships - Game 11  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  R  H  E
 #4 Harding (37-22)  0  0  1  1  1  2  0  5  8  0
 #2 Southern Arkansas (43-9)  0  0  0  1  2  0  1  4  5  3
 

HOW THEY SCORED:
   HU 3rd – Courtney Derrick singled to second base; Amanda Berdon scored.
   HU 4th – Kinsey Beck singled to pitcher; Kimmy Hendricks scored.
   SAU 4th – Maddie Dow homered to center field.
   HU 5th – Berdon reached on a bunt; Brookelynn Moon scored on throwing error.
   SAU 5th – Liz Hudgins doubled to left center; Kim Whelehon scored.
   SAU 5th – Taylor Guin flied out to center field, Summer Ehrig scored.
   HU 6th – Mackenzie Jones singled down the right field line; Hendricks scored.
   HU 6th – Berdon reached on a fielding error; Beck scored on the error.
   SAU 7th – Hudgins singled to left center; Taylor Stricklin scored.

  
AT THE PLATE:
   HU – Hendricks: 2-for-4, 2 R; Moon: 1-for-2, R; Berdon: 1-for-2, R
   SAU – Hudgins: 2-for-4, 2 RBI; Dow: 1-for-3, HR, RBI
 
ON THE MOUND:
  W – Hannah Johnson (21-8): CG, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R/ 3 ER, 4 K/1 BB
   L – Kimmy Beasley (21-4): 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R/3 ER, 2 K/2 BB

 
NOTABLE:
  • HU: Second consecutive victory against a top-2 [spell out] Central Region team; entered GAC Championships with a 3-9 record against regionally-ranked teams
  • HU: Won its first game against SAU in five tries this season (SAU had outscored HU 29-9 during the regular season.
  • HU’s Hendricks: 2-for-4 on Saturday; hit .111 (1-for-9) vs SAU in the regular season.
  • HU’s Hendricks tossed her 19th complete game of the season on just 100 pitches.
  • HU’s Hendricks won her 21st game of the season, which is tied for second in the GAC.
  • HU: advances to its first GAC Championship game in school history.

 WHAT’S NEXT:
  Harding: Will play in the Championship Game at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
  Southern Arkansas: Will play the Arkansas Tech/Henderson State winner in game 13, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday.
 

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Michelle Sorensen’s complete-game outing against Southern Nazarene proved to be enough for the Reddies to take down the Crimson Storm, 2-1, in a 2016 Great American Conference Championship elimination contest on Saturday from the Tiger Athletic Complex. Sorensen struck out nine. Olivia Trapp paced Henderson State with a pair of hits versus Southern Nazarene.

 
 GAC Softball Championships - Game 10  1  2  3  4  5  6 7  R  H  E
 #8 Southern Nazarene (28-31)  0  0  0  0  1  0 0  1  3  1
 #6 Henderson State (34-25)  0  0  1  1  0  0 X  2  4  0
 
HOW THEY SCORED:
   HSU 3rd – Hope Patterson flied out to left center; Shayla Wright scored.
   HSU 4th – Ashleigh Erb reached on a fielding error; Morgan South scored on the error.
   SNU 5th – Hannah LeBeau singled to right center; Hope Martin scored.

  AT THE PLATE:
   SNU – LeBeau: 1-for-1, RBI; Martin: 1-for-2, R
   HSU – Trapp: 2-for-3; Patterson: SF RBI; South: 1-for-3, R
 
ON THE MOUND:
  W – Sorensen (21-11): CG, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ 1 ER, 9 K/2 BB
   L – Kayla Wyatt (19-15): CG, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R/1 ER, 6 K/2 BB
 
NOTABLE:
  • Wyatt became the first pitcher in GAC history to record 300 strikeouts in a season.
  • Wyatt finishes her college career with 733 strikeouts.
  • Wyatt: 25th complete game – tops in GAC; Sorensen: 22nd complete game – second in GAC
  • Sorensen: 3-0 vs SNU; 0.33 ERA, 29 strikeouts in 21.0 IP
  • Henderson State outscored Southern Nazarene 20-7 in five games (went 4-1).
  • HSU improves to a GAC leading 7-4 when facing elimination at the Softball Championships.

 WHAT’S NEXT:
  Southern Nazarene: Eliminated
  Henderson State: Will play Arkansas Tech in game 12, scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday.
 

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – In Saturday’s first Great American Conference Softball Championship game, top-seeded Arkansas Tech came from behind in the ninth inning to defeat East Central, 3-2. Jalissa Gum delivered the game-winning two-run single to give the Golden Suns the victory against the Tigers. Gum started the game in the circle; she tossed 7.0 innings and allowed just one earned run.
 
 GAC Softball Championships - Game 9  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E
 #7 East Central (25-31)  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  1  2  6  1
 #1 Arkansas Tech (46-8)  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  2  3  8  0
 
HOW THEY SCORED:
   ECU 4th – Lauren Reeves doubled to left center; Lacey Paulk scored.
   ATU  4th – Jamie Knowles singled to center field; Kambri Hill scored.
   ECU 10th – Jordynn VanPelt fouled out to right field; Ellanee Allison scored.
   ATU 10th – Gum singled through the left side; Sydnie Henson & Ashley Anderson scored.
  
AT THE PLATE:
   ECU – VanPelt: 1-for-2, RBI; Reeves: 1-for-2, RBI
   ATU – Henson: 2-for-2, R; Edinger: 2-for-4; Gum: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
 
ON THE MOUND:
  W – Morgan Vaughn (15-1): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ 1 ER, 5 K/4 BB
   L – Sydney Dow (19-2): 8.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R/3 ER, 9 K/5 BB
 
NOTABLE:
  • Arkansas Tech has outscored East Central 26-5 in five meetings this season (5-0).
  • Arkansas Tech: Has not lost consecutive games this season.
  • ATU became first team to win a GAC Championship game in extra innings after allowing a run in the top half of the final inning
  • Gum: Recorded 30 strikeouts the GAC Championships, a single-year record (HSU’s Michelle Sorensen struck out 28 in 2015).
  • Third extra-inning contest of the 2016 Championships; had only three extra-inning GAC Championship games from 2012 through 2015.

 WHAT’S NEXT:
  East Central: Eliminated
  Arkansas Tech: Will play Henderson State winner at 4 p.m. on Saturday.