Arkansas Tech University senior Jalissa Gum was the winning pitcher in each of the Golden Suns’ four victories during a Great American Conference softball series sweep of East Central University at the Chartwells Women’s Sports Complex in Russellville on Friday and Saturday.
The Golden Suns (24-12 overall, 18-6 GAC) remain part of a closely-contested, four-team race for the GAC regular season title.
Harding University (33-1, 23-1), Southern Arkansas University (31-5, 21-3) and the University of Arkansas-Monticello (24-10, 17-5) are also part of the chase going into the final month of the regular season.
Arkansas Tech and Harding will play a doubleheader at the Chartwells Women’s Sports Complex beginning at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4. Radio station KARV 101.3 FM/610 AM and www.arkansastechsports.com will have live coverage.
Game One: Tech 3, ECU 0
Gum pitched a one-hit shutout and struck out 15 East Central hitters in a 3-0 Arkansas Tech victory in Friday’s opener.
Megan Goodnight had an RBI double and Gum drove in two runs with a single. Gum improved to 8-6 in the circle.
Game Two: Tech 1, ECU 0
Goodnight’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning gave Arkansas Tech a 1-0 victory over East Central in the nightcap on Friday.
Gum (9-6) pitched one scoreless inning of relief, striking out all three batters she faced in the top of the 11th.
Game Three: Tech 1, ECU 0
Gum nearly duplicated her effort from the series opener in a 1-0 win against East Central on Saturday.
The senior from Red Rock, Okla., struck out 14 Tigers in a one-hit shutout. Gum (10-6) did not allow a hit until Mariah Ewy’s single with two outs in the top of the seventh and final inning.
Sarah Coronado scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Game Four: Tech 3, ECU 0
Coronado’s three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning propelled Arkansas Tech to a 3-0 triumph over East Central in the series finale on Saturday.
Gum (11-6) pitched in relief and recorded the final five outs of the game, all on strikeouts.
