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GOLDEN SUNS COMPLETE THIRD DAY OF GSC CROSSOVER
TOURNAMENT WITH WIN OVER WEST FLORIDA
DECATUR,
Alabama –
Arkansas Tech Softball continued its stellar play in the
Gulf South Conference Crossover Tournament as the Golden
Suns earned a 1-0 win in eight innings here Saturday
over West Florida to improve to 2-1 in the four-day
event at Wilson-Morgan Park.
With Saturday’s win, Tech improves to 33-10 overall on
the season and moved into sole possession of first place
in the GSC West Division with a 15-4 mark. Tech had
entered the day locked in a tie with Henderson State for
first place in the West Divisions standings, but HSU
(14-6 in the GSC) lost both of its games in the GSC
Crossover on Saturday. In addition, Tech improved to
8-13 all-time in the GSC Crossover Tournament.
Saturday’s game was a pitcher’s duel as senior Dana
Aldrich (Palm Harbor, Fla.) locked horns with UWF’s
Taren Walton. Both pitchers combined to allow 13 hits,
but they walked a combined three batters and struck out
16 in a game that lasted nearly two hours.
Both pitchers had shutouts going for seven innings,
until Tech broke up the scoreless game in the top of the
eighth inning as senior shortstop Molly Schweigert
(Salem, Ore.) drove in junior rightfielder Sarah
Pratt (Garland, Texas) with the game’s first and
only run on her single up the middle. Pratt had led off
the eighth with a single up the middle and moved to
second on a bunt by senior leftfielder Terra Brenner
(Belleville, Ill.) before scoring.
In the bottom of the eighth, Aldrich retired the first
two hitters in order and then gave up a single to Nicky
VanCamp, before striking out Jillian LaFrance to end the
game and seal her 19th win of the season.
Aldrich, who improved to 19-6 with the win, allowed six
hits in eight innings of work, while striking out 11 and
walking one. The shutout was Aldrich’s second
consecutive as she tossed the second perfect game in
Tech history in Friday’s 8-0 win over West Georgia.
While Aldrich was effective, so too was Walton (10-6 on
the season), as she tossed eight innings and allowed
just seven singles and one run, while walking two and
striking out five.
Tech’s offense, which collected seven hits, was paced by
two hits apiece by Schweigert and Pratt. With her two
hits, Schweigert extended her school record hitting
streak to 15 straight games. UWF, who fell to 32-18
overall and 12-7 in the GSC with the loss, was paced
offensively by two hits each from VanCamp and Heather
Bell.
The Golden Suns will conclude play in the four-day GSC
Crossover Tournament on Sunday when they face West
Alabama at 10 a.m. and North Alabama at 12 p.m.
West
Florida Box
Score
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Tech Athletics -- |