GOLDEN SUNS WIN ELIMINATION GAME AGAINST NORTH ALABAMA, ADVANCE TO GSC CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND AGAINST TOP-RANKED ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE

        SOUTHAVEN, Mississippi – Arkansas Tech Softball was able to hold off North Alabama here Sunday morning in an elimination game at the 2008 Gulf South Conference Tournament to post a 4-3 win and advance to a championship round match-up beginning at 12 p.m. with top-ranked Alabama-Huntsville at the Greenbrook Softball Complex.

Tech would need to defeat the Lady Chargers two times to win the GSC title as UAH is the lone undefeated team remaining in the double-elimination tournament. UAH picked up a 5-3 win in 11 innings on Saturday night over the Golden Suns.

Against North Alabama, the Golden Suns opened the scoring in the first inning on a double by senior shortstop Molly Schweigert (Salem, Ore.) and an RBI bloop single by sophomore catcher Roxanna Palacios (Crosby, Texas) and then added its second run when UNA shortstop Ally Pridmore dropped a pop fly off the bat of freshman first baseman Tiphani Moon (Euless, Texas) for an error.

Tech moved in front 4-0 in the third inning as Moon hit a two-run homer over the left field fence off of UNA hurler Sabrina Roberts. The homer was Moon’s team-leading seventh of the season and second of the tournament.

UNA, who ended its season with a 28-21 record, used three hits, an error by Schweigert and a double steal to score three runs in the third inning off of sophomore Casey Hammons (Carthage, Texas) and pull within 4-3. Hammons, though, was able to strand runners at second and third as she struck out Andrea Palmer and forced Pridmore to ground out to end UNA’s threat.

Senior Dana Aldrich (Palm Harbor, Fla.), the GSC West Division Player and Pitcher of the Year, replaced Hammons in the fourth inning and allowed only two hits and struck out four Lady Lions to help seal the win and improve to 26-9 on the season. Hammons tossed three innings and allowed five hits and three runs, while walking one and striking out two.

Junior centerfielder Krista Cifuentes (Clinton, Ark.), freshman second baseman Shanda Jimeson (Mansfield, Texas) and Schweigert each had two hits to pace Tech’s 10-hit attack. Moon added two RBIs to increase her single-season school record total to 42.

Sarah Whitlow and Maggie Eades each had two hit in the loss for the Lady Lions.

Roberts took the loss as she tossed three innings and allowed six hits and three earned runs, while striking out two. Megan Niesel finished the game as she threw four innings and allowed four hits and no runs, while striking out three.    

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