ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita softball team dropped its home GAC doubleheader to Arkansas Tech University, losing 8-5 in 10 innings in game one, and 4-0 in game two Saturday afternoon.
Game One: ATU 8, Ouachita 5 (10 Innings)
It was a pitchers' duel to start game one Saturday afternoon, as neither Ouachita nor Arkansas Tech recorded a hit until the bottom of the third inning. Ouachita did get a few runners on base via walks and errors in the first two innings, however.
Jordyn Merrett picked up the first hit of the day for the Tigers on a double down the right field line in the bottom of the third. The Tigers broke up the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth when
Emma Scales scored
Erin Williams thanks to an RBI fielder's choice to put Ouachita up 1-0. One batter later, Merrett hit a two-RBI single and scored
Katelyn Provence and Scales to put the Tigers on top 3-0.
The Golden Suns got one run back in the top of the fifth to make the score 3-1. Tech tallied three more runs in the top of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, with two outs and a runner on second,
Lauren Lester singled to center to score
Avie Reams and tied the game up 4-4. After recording the third out of the inning, the game went to extra innings.
It was slow going to start extras, as both teams were held hitless in the eighth and ninth innings. Arkansas Tech plated four runs in the top of the 10th to take an 8-0 lead. Ouachita scored one in the bottom of the 10th as an RBI triple from Williams scored Bailey King, but this would be all for the Tigers in extras, and they fell by the final score of 8-5.
Merrett went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI.
Williams went 2-for-5 with an RBI, a run scored, a triple, and a double.
Kodee Batchelor pitched four innings in relief and earned the loss in the circle for the Tigers.
Game Two: ATU 4, Ouachita 0
Arkansas Tech took an early 1-0 lead after the first inning and from there, another pitchers' duel was on. Both teams were held scoreless over the next five innings with only four hits being tallied from the second inning through the end of the sixth. The Golden Suns scored three runs on three hits in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to 4-0.
Remington Adams singled in the bottom of the seventh but was left on the bases and the Tigers fell by the score of 4-0.
Adams, Lester, and Scales were the three Tigers to record hits in the game.
Karley Burrow threw a complete game and struck out three in the loss.
The Tigers will look to bounce back tomorrow with the final game of the series against Tech at noon in Arkadelphia.
