CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Trailing by six runs entering the top of the seventh inning, East Central scored three times and brought the tying run to the plate before top-seeded Southern Arkansas finally ended the rally and earned a 9-6 win in Wednesday’s third Great American Conference Softball Championships contest from the Tiger Athletic Complex.
 
Brooke Ford-Nelson locked down the win for the Lady Muleriders (50-7) when she induced a swinging bunt ground out off the bat of Breecia Crawford. SAU catcher Rachel Miller pounced on the grounder and fired in time to record the game’s final out.
 
SAU built leads of 4-0 and 9-3 thanks to a lineup that saw all nine starters record a hit and either score a run or drive in a run. Miller hit her 10^th home run of the season as part of a 2-for-4 day that included three runs scored. Marina Duran, Jill Roye and Megan Godoyo also produced multi-hit performances. Duran scored twice while Monica Islava and Faith Otts each drove in a pair of runs.
 
After mustering only three base runners through the first four innings against SAU’s Victoria Taylor, East Central (23-29-1) took advantage of a pair of Lady Mulerider errors in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 4-3. Alissa Taylor tripled home Mariah Ewy and Aundrea Hamric after he line drive to left eluded Brooke Goad and rolled to towards the fence. Taylor came all the way around and scored on the play on a throwing error by Islava.
 
SAU gave itself some breathing room by scoring five in the home half of the sixth inning. The first five Lady Muleriders reached base; Godoyo drove in Duran and Sarah Pitre plated Maeson Grace. Islava had the big run-producing hit as her two-out single down the left field brought home Hallie Saintignan and Pitre.
 
Taylor, the GAC Pitcher of the Year, improved to 26-0 on the season as allowed two earned runs and four hits in 5.0 innings of work inside the circle. Ford-Nelson registered her third save. Jacey Henry suffered the defeat and her record dropped to 5-9.
 
The Lady Muleriders will take on Southern Nazarene contest at 1 p.m. on Thursday from the Tiger Athletic Complex. The Tigers will face the Reddies in the tournament’s second elimination contest. That contest will also start at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, but will take place at Bentonville West. During the regular season SAU won three out of from Southern Nazarene. Henderson State claimed three out of four from ECU. The Reddies limited the Tigers in eight runs in the series.