Friday, April 22, 2016, is a day that will always hold a special place in the history of Arkansas Tech University softball.
The nationally eighth-ranked Golden Suns clinched the 2016 Great American Conference regular season championship and established a new school record for softball wins in a season on Friday by sweeping Northwestern Oklahoma State University 8-0 and 5-0 at the Chartwells Women’s Sports Complex in Russellville.
Arkansas Tech (43-6 overall, 33-5 GAC) will conclude its regular season by hosting Northwestern Oklahoma State for a noon doubleheader at the Chartwells Complex on Saturday.
Radio station KCAB 97.1 FM/980 AM and www.arkansastechsports.com will provide live coverage.
Game One: Tech 8, NWOSU 0
Jalissa Gum pitched four shutout innings and hit two home runs to lead Arkansas Tech to a mercy rule-shortened 8-0 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State in Friday’s first game.
Gum (18-1) limited the Lady Rangers to one hit and notched seven strikeouts. She extended her streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to 38 and one-third.
Morgan Vaughan came out of the bullpen to record the final three outs for the Golden Suns. The game was stopped after five innings.
Gum was 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs batted in. Sarah Coronado and Destiny Crumpley both hit a solo home run for Tech. Ashley Savage added two RBIs and Janie Knowles drove in one run.
NWOSU starting pitcher Brittany Olender (0-5) was charged with six runs on seven hits in one and two-thirds innings.
Game Two: Tech 5, NWOSU 0
Arkansas Tech’s Kelsie Barker tossed a three-hit shutout and the Golden Suns completed a doubleheader sweep of Northwestern Oklahoma State by defeating the Lady Rangers 5-0 in Friday’s nightcap.
Barker (7-1) struck out four. She induced 11 ground outs while facing just four batters over the minimum.
Megan Goodnight went 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple and three RBIs. Gum and Savage added one RBI apiece.
Lady Ranger starting pitcher Madison Garza (5-18) surrendered five runs on eight hits in five and one-third innings.
