Golden Suns Go 2-2 in Bentonville

Arkansas Tech University’s nationally 11th-ranked Golden Suns softball team went 2-2 at the UAM 8-State Classic in Bentonville on Friday and Saturday.

The Golden Suns (5-3) will return to Bentonville on Friday, Feb. 17, and Saturday, Feb. 18, for another classic hosted by the University of Arkansas at Monticello and four more games against NCAA Division II Central Region opponents.

Game One: Tech 6, NWMSU 0

Sarah Coronado and Ashton Sangster recorded two runs batted in apiece in a 6-0 Arkansas Tech victory over Northwest Missouri State University on Friday.

Morgan Vaughan (3-0) pitched three and one-third innings of scoreless relief for the Golden Suns.

Bearcat starting pitcher Rachel Smith (0-1) surrendered six runs, five of which were earned, in five and two-thirds innings.

Game Two: Tech 5, PSU 4

Arkansas Tech took advantage of a Pittsburg State University error to score the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and went on to defeat the Gorillas 5-4 on Friday.

Sydnie Henson and Sangster scored on the decisive error, and Vaughan pitched a 1-2-3 top of the seventh inning to earn her second save of the season.

Tech reliever Bailey Shaffer (2-0) was credited with the win after she worked one and one-third scorless innings.

Megan Goodnight hit a two-run home run and Jalissa Gum had an RBI for the Golden Suns.

Game Three: UMSL 2, Tech 0

Carly Kingery struck out nine Arkansas Tech batters and limited the Golden Suns to two hits to lead the University of Missouri-St. Louis to a 2-0 victory over the Golden Suns on Saturday.

Kingery (3-2) went the distance in the circle for the Tritons and faced just four batters over the minimum.

UMSL scored both of its runs in the top of the sixth inning. Rachel Matthies and Alex Stupek delivered RBI singles.

Gum (0-2) started in the circle for Tech and worked six innings, striking out 11 Tritons while allowing two runs on four hits.

Game Four: MWSU 4, Tech 1

Shelby Uhl’s RBI single in the bottom of the third inning put Missouri Western in front for good in a 4-1 victory over Arkansas Tech on Saturday.

Uhl finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one run batted in.

Barbara Billingsley (3-1) pitched a complete game for the Golden Griffons. She allowed one run on six hits in seven innings.

Tech starting pitcher Sydnee Clark (0-1) went two and one-third innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits.

Henson drove in the Golden Suns’ run with a third-inning single.