GOLDEN SUNS SWEEP HOME DOUBLEHEADER FROM ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO; MOVES INTO FIRST PLACE IN GSC WEST DIVISION

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Softball returned home here Saturday following a nine-game road and swept a Gulf South Conference doubleheader from Arkansas-Monticello at the Chartwells Women’s Sports Complex.

Tech opened the doubleheader with a 5-2 win (Box Score) over the Cotton Blossoms and then took the nightcap, 1-0 (Box Score) in nine innings on a one-out sacrifice fly by freshman second baseman Shanda Jimeson (Mansfield, Texas).

With the two wins, Tech improves to 36-13 overall and moved into first place in the GSC West Division standings with an 18-7 mark, while UAM falls to 18-27 overall and 11-12 in the GSC. Henderson State, who was idle on Saturday, is in second place with a 16-7 league mark.

In the first game, Tech took advantage of an error by UAM shortstop Lindsey Randall to score two unearned runs. In the inning, junior rightfielder Sarah Pratt (Garland, Texas) reached on Randall’s error and then scored three batters later on an RBI single by sophomore catcher Roxie Palacios (Crosby, Texas), who then scored on an RBI single by freshman first baseman Tiphani Moon (Euless, Texas).

          Tech pushed its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the third inning on a three-run homer by Moon over the left centerfield fence. The homer was Moon’s fifth of the season and Tech’s 11th of the season.

          In the fourth inning, UAM’s Meredith Heckel broke up senior Dana Aldrich’s (Palm Harbor, Fla.) bid for a perfect game with her 13th homer of the season. UAM pulled within 5-2 in the sixth inning thanks to a double, a single and an error by Aldrich.

          Tech had a chance to add to its lead in the sixth inning as the Golden Suns loaded the bases with two out thanks to three singles, before Becca Sustaire forced senior leftfielder Terra Brenner (Belleville, Ill.) to line out to end the inning.

          Aldrich, who moved to 21-7 on the season, tossed a complete game, allowing just five hits and one earned run, while walking one and striking out eight.

          Sustaire (9-14) was the hard luck loser as she tossed six innings and allowed 10 hits and three earned runs, while walking one and striking out three.

          Palacios led Tech with three hits, while Moon, Pratt and junior centerfielder Krista Cifuentes (Clinton, Ark.) added two hits in the win. In addition, Moon drove in four of Tech’s five runs.

          Becca Tipton paced UAM’s five hit attack with a single and a double.

          Meanwhile, in the nightcap, neither could muster a lot of offense for much of the game as both sophomore Casey Hammons (Carthage, Texas) and UAM’s Kate Brady were locked in a pitcher’s duel.

          Through the first seven innings of the game, both teams combined for just seven hits, including a double by senior shortstop Molly Schweigert (Salem, Ore.) and a triple by Hammons, who was the only base runner to reach third base in the first eight innings of the game.

          In the eighth inning, it appeared that UAM was ready to break open the scoreless game as they put runners on first and second on singles by Amy Mardis and Heather Greer, which chased Hammons from the game. Aldrich relieved Hammons and ended the UAM scoring threat as she forced Heckel to fly out to left field.

          Tech, though, finally dented the scoreboard in the ninth as Schweigert led off with a single to left field, advanced to second on a single by Palacios and then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Moon, before scoring the game winning run on Jimeson’s fly ball to right field off of Brady.

          Aldrich (22-7) earned the win in relief as she tossed 1.1 innings and allowed no runs and no hits. Hammons pitched 7.2 innings and allowed five hits and no runs, while striking out two.

          Palacios, Hammons and Schweigert accounted for all of Tech’s six hits as they had two hits apiece. In the first game, Schweigert had her school-record 19-game hitting streak snapped as she went 0-for 2 at the plate with a walk.

          Brady (9-10 on the season) tossed 8.2 innings and allowed six hits and one run, while walking two and striking out six. Randall led UAM’s offense with two of her team’s four hits.              

          Tech returns to action on Tuesday, April 22, when they travel to Arkadelphia, Ark., to face Henderson State in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. HSU is the only West Division team Tech has yet to face this season.

          -- Tech Athletics --