CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Two-out hitting made the difference for Arkansas Tech in its 10-2 victory against Ouachita in Wednesday's second Great American Conference Softball Championships contest from Tiger Athletic Complex in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Leading 3-2 with two down and nobody on base in the last of the fourth inning, the Golden Suns (40-17) saw eight straight hitters reach base with seven crossing the plate. Ashton Sangster started the hit parade with a single. She moved to second on a stolen base and scored on a Paty Loredo double. Janie Knowles knocked home Loredo with a double of her own. Following a walk to Paige Mendoza and a wild pitch, Megan Goodnight plated the pair with a single up the middle. A Sarah Coronado double drove home Goodnight. Sydnie Henson reached on an infield single and a second wild pitch of the rally advanced both runners 60 feet. Mackenzie Addis tallied the fourth double of the inning with a shot to center that chased home Henson and Coronado.

Knowles finished 3-for-3 with a home run, her 10^th of the season, and drove in three RBI for the Golden Suns. Sangster swiped three bases to improve to 30-for-30 in stolen base attempts.

Knowles' second-inning home run opening the scoring for Tech. Ouachita (25-28) answered in the top of the third when Natalie Jackson doubled in Gabby Gonzalez, followed one out later by a run-producing single from Sloane Precure.

The Golden Suns regained the lead in their half of the third inning. Knowles singled in Sangster level the game; two batters later, Knowles crossed the plate on a based loaded walk drawn by Coronado.

Goodnight, a First-Team All-GAC selection, earned the win to move her record to 15-4. Ouachita's Marissa Butler suffered the loss; her record dropped to 12-13. Cara Tolar pitched 2.0 scoreless innings and struck out four to earn her second save

With the win, the Golden Suns secured their fifth 40-win campaign in program history. All have come in last 11 years. With Southern Arkansas entering the GAC Championships with 49 wins, the GAC has produced multiple 40-win programs in all seven years of its existence.

The Golden Suns will face Harding at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday from the Tiger Athletic Complex. The Tigers will take on Southeastern Oklahoma State in the tournament's first elimination contest. That contest will also start at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. Bentonville West will serve as the venue. During the regular season Arkansas Tech won three of four from Harding and the Savage Storm claimed three of four against the Tigers.