Three dominant pitching performances vaulted Arkansas Tech University to a series victory over Southern Nazarene University in Great American Conference softball at the Chartwells Women’s Sports Complex on Friday and Saturday.
The Golden Suns (18-10 overall, 12-4 GAC) are in sole possession of third place in the GAC standings, three games behind co-leaders Harding University (25-3, 15-1) and Southern Arkansas University (25-3, 15-1).
Arkansas Tech will visit Oklahoma Baptist University for a four-game GAC series in Shawnee, Okla., on Friday, March 24, and Saturday, March 25.
Game One: Tech 2, SNU 0
Jalissa Gum pitched a one-hit shutout and hit a home run to lead Arkansas Tech to a 2-0 victory over Southern Nazarene in the series opener on Friday.
Gum (6-4) struck out 13 Crimson Storm hitters. Her solo home run in the second inning gave the Golden Suns a 1-0 lead. Tech’s Sarah Coronado added a RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
SNU starting pitcher Katelyn Brown (4-6) allowed two runs on four hits over six innings.
Game Two: Tech 8, SNU 0
Morgan Vaughan tossed a perfect game in an 8-0 Arkansas Tech win over Southern Nazarene in Friday’s nightcap.
Vaughan (7-1) retired all 15 Crimson Storm batters who came to the plate in a mercy-rule shortened game. She notched six strikeouts, five ground outs and four fly outs.
Gum, Ashton Sangster and Janie Knowles drove in two runs apiece. Knowles hit a home run.
Brooke Tate (0-5) went the distance in the circle for Southern Nazarene. She was charged with eight runs, two of which were earned, on 10 hits in four-plus innings.
Game Three: SNU 1, Tech 0
Southern Nazarene’s Brown threw a two-hit shutout to carry Southern Nazarene to a 1-0 victory over Arkansas Tech in game one of a Saturday doubleheader.
Brown (5-6) struck out 10 batters. Jacey James drove in the game’s only run on a seventh-inning single.
Gum (6-5) pitched a complete game for the Suns. She allowed one run on two hits while striking out 14.
Game Four: Tech 6, SNU 0
Vaughan made her case for GAC pitcher of the week honors by pitching her second shutout of the weekend in a 6-0 Arkansas Tech win over Southern Nazarene in the series finale on Saturday.
The junior from Bella Vista induced 15 ground outs. Vaughan (8-1) limited the Crimson Storm to one hit.
Coronado went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Sarah LaChance added two runs batted in for the Suns.
Brown (5-7) surrendered five runs, four of which were earned, on six hits over one and one-third innings.
