Box Score BENTONVILLE, Ark. – The Ouachita softball team lost 10-2 to Arkansas Tech in the first round of the Great American Conference Tournament.
Ouachita (25-28) is still alive in the double elimination tournament, but they have a long road ahead of them. The Tigers will have to win out to become the GAC Tournament Champions and earn the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament lately this month.
This is the second year in a row that Ouachita has been sent to the loser's bracket after round one of the Tournament. Last season, the Tigers fell to No. 1 Harding in round one but then rebounded with a victory over the fifth seeded Tigers of East Central. This year the Tigers will look to repeat history with a victory over the three seed Southeastern Oklahoma State on Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m.
Arkansas Tech (40-17) meanwhile will move on and face Harding in the winner's bracket at 10:30 a.m.
Janie Knowles started the scoring for Arkansas Tech in the bottom of the second inning. Knowles slapped a homerun over the left field wall breaking the scoreless tie.
The Ouachita offense responded in the top half of the third inning.
Gabby Gonzalez (Alice, Texas) and
Kelly Powell (Flower Mound, Texas) had back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Natalie Jackson (Mansfield, Texas) then doubled to left field to tying the game at one. One out later and Sloane Precure (Canyon, Texas) singled through the right side of the infield giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the third, Knowles drove in her second RBI of the contest tying the game at two. The tie did not last long though as Arkansas Tech loaded up the bases and Sarah Coronado drew an RBI walk giving Tech a 3-2 advantage.
Marissa Butler (Plano, Texas) appeared to be in good shape in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Lone Star State native retired the first two batters with only four pitches. Then disaster struck for the Tigers as Tech reeled in seven runs on seven consecutive hits.
Ouachita's rally in the top of the fifth fell short as the Tigers left two runners on the base paths to end the game.
Butler is now has even 12-12 record this season in the circle. Jackson was the only Tiger to record a multi-hit day in the loss to Tech.
Ouachita will be back at it bright and early tomorrow morning as the face-off against Southeastern Oklahoma State in an elimination game at 10:30 a.m.
