East Central University defeated Arkansas Tech University 6-4 and 7-2 in a Great American Conference softball doubleheader at Lady Tiger Field in Ada, Okla., on Saturday.
The Lady Tigers (23-16 overall, 13-11 GAC) broke open a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning of game one.
Chelsea Patterson delivered an RBI single, Peyton Watson had an RBI triple and Lacey Williams notched an RBI double to give East Central a 6-3 lead.
Hayley Hudson’s RBI single in the top of the seventh pulled Tech within 6-4, but that was all that ECU starting pitcher Ali Manship would allow.
Manship (11-8) was charged with just one earned run on six hits over seven innings. She struck out seven and walked two.
Hudson was 2-for-3 with three RBIs in game one. Victoria Huie added two hits.
Huie (9-10) took the game one loss in the circle. She surrendered six runs, five of which were earned, on 11 hits in six innings.
The fifth inning was good to the Lady Tigers again in the nightcap.
Cami Correa’s two-run single and Desiree Nordie’s RBI single in the bottom of the fifth broke a scoreless tie and gave East Central a 3-0 lead.
An pair of mistakes by the Lady Tigers helped Arkansas Tech score two runs in the top of the sixth.
Natalie Magie came home on an error and Chandler Touchstone scored on a passed ball to cut ECU’s lead to 3-2.
Williams led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run that sparked a four-run rally to set what proved to be the final margin.
Brianna Nunley (11-7) pitched a complete game for the win in game two. She scattered nine hits over seven innings. Both of the runs she allowed were unearned. Nunley notched four strikeouts.
Rachel Keeton (5-15) was tagged with the game two loss. She gave up seven runs, five of which were earned, on 11 hits in six innings.
East Central’s Shelby Simmons went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the second contest. Correa drove in three runs.
Alicia Zack and Maddie Roncketto had two hits apiece for the Golden Suns (15-27, 8-16).
Arkansas Tech and East Central will play another doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 22, in Ada.
Click here to access live statistics courtesy of the ECU Sports Information Department.
Click here to learn more about Golden Suns softball.
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