BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Tech joined an elite company of Great American Conference programs as the Golden Suns won the GAC Under Armour Championship title for the fourth-consecutive season following a 7-4 come-from-behind victory against Southern Arkansas on Sunday from the Tiger Athletic Complex.
Tech joins the Ouachita men’s tennis team (2012-15), the SAU baseball team (2012-15), the Henderson State men’s golf team (2014-18), the Arkansas Tech women’s golf team (2015-19) and Oklahoma Baptist women’s cross country team (2017-present) as the only programs to win at least four straight conference championship titles.
Trailing 4-2 entering the sixth inning, the Golden Suns (39-17) sent 10 batters to plate and scored five unearned runs to take the lead for the first time of the game. With two out, four straight Golden Suns reached safety as Holly Crutchfield singled in Shelby Chavers with the go-ahead run. GAC Player of the Year Tymber Riley doubled home Crutchfield and Makenzie Goins plated Riley.
Armed with the three-run advantage, Shannon Lasey entered and completed a virtuoso tournament performance inside the circle. She pitched 2.0 scoreless innings and collected her third save. For the Championship, she tossed 17.0 shutout innings in collecting two wins and a save to add the GAC Championship MVP honor to her Pitcher of the Year award.
Riley hit .667 with a pair of home runs to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. ??Chavers and Kassie Mayberry also represented the Golden Suns on the team. Mayberry collected five hits, including two doubles. Chavers hit .444 and stole a base.
The Muleriders (37-16) placed Kiana Pogroszewski, Jade Miller, Mariah Hamilton and Jaxynn Dyson on the All-Tournament. Pogroszewski earned both of SAU’s wins ; Dyson and Miller each hit over .400 while Hamilton collected three RBI.
Harding’s Hanna Jones and Leigha Harris plus Southern Nazarene’s Jennifer Romero and Hailey Evans rounded out the 12-member team. Jones hit .500 with a home run and two stolen bases while Harris drove in five with a grand slam. Romero struck out 15 in 15.0 innings in the circle and Evans hit .333.
The Golden Suns secured their sixth trip to the NCAA Regionals in the last seven seasons. They learn their destination and opponent’s during Monday morning’s selection show. It streams at 9 a.m. on NCAA.com. SAU entered the week ranked seventh in the Central Region and eyes their seventh postseason bid in the last eight seasons.