BENTONVILLE, Arkansas - For the second-straight year, and the seventh time in Great American Conference Softball Championship history, the top two seeds advanced through to the final as top-seeded Arkansas Tech shut out Harding, 9-0 in five innings, and No. 2 Southern Arkansas defeated Oklahoma Baptist to reach its fifth-straight final.
Semifinal #2 #2 Southern Arkansas 8, #3 Oklahoma Baptist 3 || Box Score || Photo Gallery ||
Recording her 33rd start of the season, Emma Duncan tallied her 20th complete game of the season and moved to 27-3 in the campaign. Emma accounted for just three hits and runs allowed, with two of those being earned. While surrendering six walks, the grad student corrected herself with seven strikeouts, now at 207 on the season.
After stranding two runners on base in the top of first with Duncan fanning the side, the Muleriders' bats immediately got to cooking against OBU's Jaycee Kelly in the circle. Luetticke got the scoring sequence rolling, as she recorded a one-out single to centerfield, and followed that up with a stolen bag at second. America Rubio drew a four-pitch walk and both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. The bases were then juiced after Regan Dillon was hit by a pitch. Then came to the plate, Paris Endris reached first on a fielder's choice to second, throwing out Dillon, but both Rubio and Luetticke managed to make it home on a throwing error to first, 2-0.
The throwing error also advanced Endris to second. Brooklyn Reed followed this up with a single up the middle, to bat in Endris and go up 3-0. The final run of the frame was then scored on a Payton Owens double to right field, scoring Reed, 4-0.
Full SAU Recap
Oklahoma Baptist Recap
Semifinal #1 - #1 Arkansas Tech 9, #4 Harding 0 (5) || Box Score || Photo Gallery ||
Top-seeded Arkansas Tech secured its first trip to the title game of the Great American Conference Softball Championships since 2022 as the Golden Suns defeated Harding, 9-0 in five innings, on Friday from the Tiger Athletic Complex.
Aly White threw 4.0 scoreless innings to improve to 14-5 on the season. She struck out seven and allowed just one hit as she faced one over the minimum. At the plate, she drove in the game's first run on a successful squeeze bunt in the first.
The Golden Suns (42-13) scored in all four frames. Anna Winkfield and Destiney Madewell each collected six half to account for half of Tech's total. Miya Curry went 2-for-2. Winkfield, Curry and Aaliyah Dixon scored twice. Dixon added a stolen base.
Full Arkansas Tech Recap
Harding Recap