MAGNOLIA –  A walk-off homerun from Maddie Dow in the tenth inning lifted the Lady Mulerider softball team to a 7-5 victory in game one followed by an 8-0 run-rule victory in game two, in which Kaylee Garner tossed a no-hitter to complete the doubleheader sweep over Southern Nazarene on Monday.

TEAM RECORDS
Southern Arkansas Lady Muleriders: 21-3, 11-1 GAC
Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm: 5-15, 3-9 GAC

PITCHING DECISIONS- GAME 1
W: Jill Roye (2-0)
L: Katelyn Brown (1-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED- GAME 1

• For the first four innings, Southern Arkansas relied on a solo homer from Brooke Goad as she blasted her ninth of the season in the first inning on a 1-1 pitch over the right centerfield fence to give SAU an early 1-0 advantage over the Crimson Storm.
• Southern Nazarene put up three runs on one hit in the fifth inning with the help of a pair of errors before SAU came back to tie the game in the bottom of the frame at 3-all.
• In that inning, Goad hit her second homerun of the game after a no-doubter solo bomb to right field put SAU just one-run shy of SNU. Maddie Dow complemented her with a solo shot to left centerfield, her 11th of the season, that forced a tied game heading into the sixth.
• Both teams remained scoreless in the next four innings sending the game into extras before the Crimson Storm made a break-through in the top of the tenth after scoring a pair of runs on one hit and two errors that gave them the 5-3 lead.
• SAU rallied back in the bottom of the frame eventually taking the 7-5 victory over SNU.
• That inning started off after a sacrifice fly off the bat of Yulissa Hinojosa plated Islava, who previously reached base on a walk. With a pair of runners on the base paths, SAU’s active 2017 season homerun leader, Maddie Dow, sent an absolute missile over the left field wall that plated the last three runs and ended the game in walk-off fashion.

IN THE CIRCLE

• The rubber match ended with a win in the circle for Jill Roye, her second on the year.
• Roye came in relief in the fifth inning giving up three runs on one hit while striking out nine in six innings pitched.

AT THE PLATE

• Dow led the SAU offense with four RBI’s on three hits including a pair of homeruns and runs scored.
• Goad followed with a pair of RBI’s on two homeruns.
• Hinojosa tallied an RBI in the game.
• Megan Godoyo was 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored.

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PITCHING DECISIONS- GAME 2
W: Kaylee Garner (9-0)
L: Brooke Tate (0-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED- GAME 2

• In the bottom of the first inning, Brooke Goad led off with a hit up the middle before Roye plated her with a single to right field that put SAU on the board 1-0.
• With bases loaded in the bottom of the third, Islava drew a one-out walk that brought Dow home. SAU’s second run of the inning came on a batted ball by Godoyo that scored Duran, extending the Lady Mulerider lead out to 3-0.
• Southern Arkansas added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth after tacking on five runs on six hits. Back-to-back hits from Hinojosa and Goad brought Dow to the plate as she belted her third homerun of the day on a 3-run shot to left field. Tyler Casada banged an RBI double into the left-centerfield gap before a single off the bat of Islava plated the final run of the frame.
• In the top of the fifth, Garner shut down the last three of the four batters she faced that allowed her to establish a no-hitter resulting in a 8-0 run-rule victory for SAU.

IN THE CIRCLE

•  Garner was spectacular in the circle in her five-innings pitched as she didn’t allow any hits or runs and struck out five.
•  Garners no-hitter is the ninth in program history.

AT THE PLATE

• Dow led the offense for SAU once again with a 1-for-2 performance at the plate with three RBI’s on a homerun and a pair of runs scored.
• Islava collected a pair of RBI’s on one hit.
• Roye, Casada, and Godoyo each accounted for an RBI in the game.
• Duran was 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of runs scored.
• Rachel Miller and Hinojosa each collected a hit.

UP NEXT

• The Lady Muleriders travel to Weatherford, Oklahoma next weekend for a series against GAC opponent Southwestern Oklahoma. The first doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday.

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