GOLDEN SUNS EARN FIRST-EVER POSTSEASON WIN WITH VICTORY OVER NORTH ALABAMA IN FIRST ROUND OF GSC TOURNAMENT

        SOUTHAVEN, Mississippi – Arkansas Tech Softball continued its history making season here Friday by earning its first-ever postseason win thanks to its 5-0 victory over North Alabama in the first round of the 2008 Gulf South Conference Tournament held at the Greenbrook Softball Complex.

Tech, who is making its first-ever appearance in the GSC Tournament and also played its first-ever game in the month of May on Friday morning, used an offense that produced a season-high 15 hits and the solid pitching of GSC West Division Pitcher and Player of the Year Dana Aldrich (Palm Harbor, Fla.) to post the win over UNA and advance to face Valdosta State in a winners bracket game at 3 p.m. on Saturday. VSU advanced in the winners bracket with its 7-6 come-from-behind win over Delta State in Friday’s first round.

         “This is so exciting for our players and for our softball program, to be able to qualify for the tournament for the first time and then in its first-ever tournament game earn a victory,” said Golden Suns Head Coach Gidget Pambianchi, who was named the GSC West Division Coach of the Year on Wednesday. “This is a moment to remember forever.”

Tech, who improved to 39-15 on the season, showed no ill effects of playing in its first-ever GSC Tournament as the Golden Suns jumped on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning thanks to two hits and two errors committed by UNA. In the inning, Tech scored the first run of the game on an RBI single by senior shortstop Molly Schweigert (Salem, Ore.), one of six Golden Suns to earn First-Team All-GSC West Division honors this season. Schweigert’s single plated senior leftfielder Terra Brenner (Belleville, Ill.), who had reached on a one-out bunt single and advanced to second on an error by UNA pitcher Megan Niesel.   

The Golden Suns lead grew to 4-0 in the fourth inning as they sent nine hitters to plate and collected five hits off of Niesel. In the inning, Niesel allowed the first of three runs to score as she issued a bases-loaded walk to junior centerfielder Krista Cifuentes (Clinton, Ark.), after Cifuentes had fouled 12 pitches during the at-bat. Following the bases-loaded walk, Tech added its second run on a run scoring single by junior rightfielder Sarah Pratt (Garland, Texas), another of Tech’s six All-GSC West Division performers and then completed scoring on an RBI single by Schweigert, which plated Cifuentes.

In the fifth inning, Tech added its final run on an RBI single up by middle by Pratt off of UNA reliever Anna Ard. Pratt’s single allowed freshman third baseman Quinn Culver (Fort Smith, Ark.), who reached on a fielder’s choice, to score.

UNA had a prime opportunity to score in the sixth as Sarah Whitlow and Lindsey Bates each reached base on singles and then advanced a base on a fielding error by Cifuentes, but Aldrich struck out Jennifer Sharp for the second out and then sophomore Casey Hammons (Carthage, Texas), who was also a First-Team All-GSC West Division selection, relieved Aldrich and forced Andrea Palmer to pop up to Culver to end the inning.

Aldrich returned to the mound in the seventh and retired the side in order to earn the win and improve to 24-8 on the season. For the game, Aldrich pitched 6.2 innings and allowed five hits and no runs, while walking one and striking out 10. It was her sixth shutout of the season and the fifth time this season she struck out at least 10 batters in a game.

Schweigert and freshman second baseman Shanda Jimeson (Mansfield, Texas) led Tech’s 15-hit attack with three hits apiece, while Pratt, Hammons and freshman first baseman Tiphani Moon (Euless, Texas) added two hits in the win. In addition, Schweigert and Pratt each drove in two runs.

Maggie Eades led UNA (26-20 on the season) with two hits.

Niesel (14-9) took the loss as she pitched four innings and allowed 10 hits and three earned runs, while walking one and striking out two. Ard pitched two innings and allowed five hits, one run and struck out one.

Tech-North Alabama Box Score            
         
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