GOLDEN SUNS IMPROVE TO 2-0 AT GSC TOURNAMENT WITH SATURDAY'S 6-1 VICTORY OVER VALDOSTA STATE

        SOUTHAVEN, Mississippi – Arkansas Tech Softball continued play here Saturday in the 2008 Gulf South Conference Tournament by posting a 4-1 victory over Valdosta State to remain undefeated in the double-elimination tournament at the Greenbrook Softball Complex.

With the win, Tech improves to 40-15 overall on the season, while VSU, who is ranked sixth in the latest NCAA D-II South Region rankings, fell to 47-16 overall. Tech will now face top-ranked Alabama-Huntsville in a winner’s bracket showdown at 8 p.m. on Saturday. UAH advanced to the 8 p.m. game against Tech after collecting a 5-0 win over West Florida. The winner of the UAH/Tech game will advance to the championship round on Sunday, May 4.

The Lady Blazers jumped on the scoreboard in the second inning as Kristina Ely drove a pitch from senior Dana Aldrich (Palm Harbor, Fla.) over the right centerfield fence for her GSC-leading 19th home run of the season.

Tech, who squandered scoring opportunities in the first and second innings, used a three-run home run from sophomore Taylor Gates (Paris, Texas) over the left field fence in the fourth inning to give the Golden Suns a 3-1 lead. Prior to the home run, Gates was mired in a 1-for-31 slump at the plate.

In the top of the sixth inning, Gates delivered again as she hit a double to left field that allowed freshman Shanda Jimeson (Mansfield, Texas), who had reached on a two-out single to left field, to score.

The Golden Suns added some insurance runs in the seventh thanks to a 2-run double by freshman first baseman Tiphani Moon (Euless, Texas). Moon’s double allowed senior shortstop Molly Schweigert (Salem, Ore.) and sophomore catcher Roxanna Palacios (Crosby, Texas) to score. Both Schweigert and Palacios had each reached on two-out hits in the inning.

The five-run cushion was enough for Aldrich to earn the win and improve to 25-8 on the season. Aldrich tossed a complete game two-hitter and struck out 11, her sixth double-digit strikeout effort on the year and second consecutive of the tournament. In addition to Ely’s homer in the second, Alex Acosta, the two-time GSC East Division Player of the Year, added a hit in the seventh inning.

Schweigert, Palacios and Gates each had two hits apiece, while Gates drove in a career-high four RBIs and Moon added two RBIs to bring her single-season school record total to 39 RBIs.

Ashley Hill (15-4 on the season) took the loss for the Lady Blazers as she pitched a complete game and allowed 10 hits and six runs, while walking two and striking out three.

Tech-Valdosta State Box Score            
         
                                                       -- Tech Athletics --