BENTONVILLE, Arkansas - For the fourth time in the last five Great American Conference Softball Championships, all top four seeds advanced as No. 4 Harding run-ruled Southeastern Oklahoma State and top-seeded Southern Arkansas knocked off Henderson State. No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist and No. 3 Southern Nazarene each won in its final at bat. For the defending champion Crimson Storm, they rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
GAME 4 - No. 3 Southern Nazarene 3, No. 6. Arkansas Tech 2 (9)
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Courtesy SNUAthletics.com - The No. 3 seeded Crimson Storm met the No. 6 seeded Golden Suns in the quarterfinals of the Great American Conference Softball Tournament. It was a battle until the very end as SNU claimed the 3-2 extra inning thriller over Arkansas Tech.
It was a pitcher's duel for seven straight innings as Southern Nazarene's (33-20, 21-12 GAC) Janie Worthington went head to head with Arkansas Tech's (27-28, 16-17 GAC) Alexis Findley.
The Golden Suns finally broke through in the top of the ninth after a groundout and a sacrifice fly drove in runs to give them a 2-0 lead. The Storm needed a response to keep their postseason dreams alive and got just that. SNU quickly loaded the bases for Eden Anderson who drove in a run off a single up the middle to put the Storm within one.
The bases remain loaded for Kelsi Hilton with no outs on the board. Hilton was able to put the ball in play as the Crimson Storm took advantage of a Golden Suns error to send two runners home securing the 3-2 victory in Bentonville.
GAME 3 - No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist 3, No. 7 Southwestern Oklahoma State 2
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Courtesy OBUBison,com - Oklahoma Baptist scratched across the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to edge Southwestern Oklahoma State 3–2 in a thrilling first-round matchup at the Great American Conference Tournament on Thursday.
Tied 2–2 entering the final frame, the Bison got a leadoff single from catcher Abby Laskowski, who gave way to pinch runner Hailey Stanford. After a bunt single and sacrifice moved the runners up, Haley Hacker delivered the game-winning knock to right center, scoring Stanford and sending the OBU dugout into celebration mode.
OBU (35–16) matched SWOSU (22–25) hit-for-hit with eight apiece but capitalized at key moments. Hacker went 2-for-3 with the decisive RBI, while Greenlee Wells added a double and scored a run. Plus, freshman Nichelle Marshall delivered an RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Pitcher Jaycee Shaffer improved to 19-3, scattering eight hits and two runs over a complete-game performance with four strikeouts and just one walk.
SWOSU did hold one brief lead, an RBI single by Riley Lusk in the third. However, in the next frame, Sammie Greene singled home Kaley Cook to tie things up.
Of significance, Cook earned her eighth triple of the year during the first frame. That's the most ever in single-season OBU history.
GAME 2 - No. 1 Southern Arkansas 9, No. 8. Henderson State 3
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Courtesy MuleriderAthletics.com - Defense and offense for the Blue and Gold, showed strong beginnings against the Reddies as the Mulerider defense, led by Brinson Rogers in the circle, pitched three shutout innings to start the contest, while the SAU offense six runs and looked to have everything under control.
Those six runs came after Team 27 tallied three in both the bottom of the first and third innings. Kelsie Adams had a hand in all three runs after the Van Alstyne, Texas native recorded a pair of RBIs after batting in Regan Dillon and Sophia Stoddard on a standing double for a 2-0 lead. Adams then scored the third run of the half inning on a wild pitch by HSU.
Adams was then seen aiding the fourth run of the outing as she was batted in off of the bat of Haley Cummings. The score came off of the Suwanee, Georgia native's first home run of the season to increase the Blue and Gold lead to 5-0. Jenna Huey the plated a run after making it home with a triple off the bat of Cassidy Lear for a 6-0 lead heading into the fourth inning.
Rogers improved her single-season strikeout record to 275 and has now 200.0 innings this season.
Three Mulerider batters accounted for a multiple hits in the contest with Stoddard going 2-for-4 with a run, Adams going 2-for-3 with three runs, and Huey going 2-for-3 with two runs. Leading the team in runs batted in for the day was Cummings, as the redshirt-sophomore recorded three RBIs and accounted for her first home run this season.
GAME 1 - No. 4 Harding 9, No. 5 Southeastern Oklahoma State 1 (6)
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Courtesy HardingSports.com -The 23rd-ranked Harding softball team opened Great American Conference Tournament play with a decisive 9-1 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma in six innings Thursday at Bentonville West High School.
Kaya Lee led the Lady Bisons' offense, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and a stolen base. Zoey Neal added two hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Jadyn Booth also had a double and an RBI for Harding. Emma Curry provided the big blow with a grand slam in the fifth inning. It was her sixth home run of the season and her first career grand slam. It was Harding's fifth grand slam of the season.
Brooklyn Gobble earned the win in the circle for Harding (39-15), allowing one run on seven hits while striking out three in six innings. Gobble improves to 17-6 on the season.
Sabetha Sands scored the lone run for Southeastern Oklahoma (26-27). Emily Simmons had an RBI single, and Iliana Olivares and Laci Larsen each contributed a double for the Savage Storm. Trinity Oden took the loss, surrendering seven runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. She falls to 8-5 on the season.