Alva Review-Courier -

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Behind a powerful offensive performance, the No. 8-ranked Lady Muleriders combined for 21 runs on 24 hits in Saturday's doubleheader to secure the GAC series sweep over Southwestern Oklahoma with a 8-1 final decision in game one followed by a run-rule in five innings, 13-2, in the series finale that saw senior Brooke Goad tie, and later claim, the all-time career home run record at SAU.

TEAM RECORDS

(#8) Southern Arkansas Lady Muleriders (25-3, 14-2 GAC)

Southwestern Oklahoma Lady Bulldogs (1-23, 1-15 GAC)

PITCHING DECISIONS – GAME 1

W – Victoria Taylor (10-0)

L – Rileigh Ricken (0-9)

S – None

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS

The first run for Southern Arkansas in the game would come via solo home run off the bat of Monica Islava who went opposite field with two outs to put SAU up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning.

SAU added a pair in the third after benefiting from a lead-off double in the left-center field gap by Marina Duran. Kiara Bonner quickly swapped places with Duran with an RBI double to the same gap, and Maeson Grace would follow with an RBI base hit into right field that plated the final run of the frame and made it 3-0, SAU.

SWOSU led-off the fifth inning with an infield single that would come back to score their first run later in the inning on an RBI base hit to center field that cut the Lady Bulldog's deficit down to two, 3-1.

SAU answered in the bottom-half of that frame and scored five runs on five hits to pull away from SWOSU.

Rachel Miller reached first base on a hit-by-pitch and was immediately drove in by Brooke Goad as the senior lefty connected with her first home run on the day that cushioned SAU's lead to 5-1.

A base knock from Islava, followed by a walk issued to Faith Otts, set up another run-scoring opportunity for SAU in the inning as Duran left the yard in her at-bat with a 3-run tank over left-center to push the Lady Muleriders to its eventual 8-1 final decision in the game.

IN THE CIRCLE

Victoria Taylor pitched her ninth complete game this season for the Lady Muleriders as the sophomore picked up her tenth win in the circle this year for SAU after allowing just one run on four hits in the contest.

Taylor recorded 11 strikeouts in the game which was her second-most all season, and only her second time this year to register double digit strikeouts.

AT THE PLATE

Duran led the SAU offense with 3 RBI and was 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of runs scored

Goad tallied a pair of RBIs in the game on a homerun and also registered a walk

Islava, Bonner, and Grace each had an RBI and two hits apiece

Overall, SAU combined for eight runs on nine hits with five of those hits going for extra bases

PITCHING DECISIONS – GAME 2

W – Brooke Ford-Nelson (8-2)

L – Miranda Grover (0-5)

S – None

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS

SWOSU jumped out to a very brief lead in the top of the first as they were able to plate the lead-off runner later in the inning on a single to left field that gave them the lead, 1-0, but starting pitcher for SAU Brooke Ford-Nelson remained un-phased in the circle as the junior picked up three swinging strikeouts in that same inning to end the Lady Bulldog threat and strand two runners.

SAU backed Ford-Nelson in the bottom-half of that frame and gained the lead over Southwestern Oklahoma after scoring three runs on five hits to take a 3-1 led in the bottom of the first.

Miller singled and represented the tying run for SAU on first base in that frame, and Goad was responsible for the go-ahead run as she went deep with a 2-run blast out to straight away center field to put the Lady Muleriders on the board at a 2-1 advantage.

Islava backed Goad on a single to right field and was singled home later in the inning by Megan Godoyo to make it a 3-1 game going into the second.

The Lady Bulldogs added pressure in the top of the second as they scratched another run on a pair of hits in the frame to cut their deficit down to one, 3-2.

SAU used the long-ball to pull away from Southwestern Oklahoma in the bottom of that frame as Goad left the yard for the third time in the doubleheader with a 2-run no-doubter to centerfield that extended the lead to 5-2.

That dinger was Goad's 75th in her career and gave her the all-time career homerun record at SAU after tying former teammate Maddie Dow's previous record of 74 career dingers back in the first inning.

For the second-straight time in the game, Islava followed Goad's homerun with a single to keep the momentum going, and Otts delivered in the next at-bat with a missile that left the yard quickly on a line out to left field that made it 7-2 after two innings.

The Lady Mulerider bats stayed hot in the third inning as they plated six runs on four hits in the frame to cruise to a 13-2 advantage of which induced three pitching changes in the circle for SWOSU.

The Lady Bulldogs unable to recover from the offensive damage done by the Lady Muleriders went scoreless through the next two innings and eventually suffered the run-rule loss to SAU at a 13-2 final decision in the fifth.

IN THE CIRCLE

Ford-Nelson collected her eighth win of the season in the circle for SAU and did-so with four strikeouts and allowed just two runs, only one earned, on seven hits through four innings pitched.

Jenny Hittinger came on in relief in the final inning for SAU and faced three batters where she would strike out one.

AT THE PLATE

Goad led SAU with 4 RBI, all of which came on a pair of home runs in the game as she finished 2-for-3 at the dish with three runs scored and a walk.

Otts and Pitre each tallied a pair of RBIs in the game

Otts was 3-for-3 at the dish with a walk and a pair of runs scored

Islava finished 3-for-4 with a pair of runs score

Miller was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and three runs scored

Duran, Hallie Saintignan, Grace, and Godoyo each had an RBI

SAU combined for 13 runs on 15 hits with seven walks