Game 1 | Game 2

MONTICELLO, Ark. – The UAM softball team played their first two home games of the season today, splitting the GAC-opening series with East Central.

UAM (11-9, 1-1 GAC) got on the board early and spread the runs throughout game one with the Tigers (11-10, 4-6 GAC). A leadoff walk to Maggie Sands started the game right for the Blossoms. She scored after a SAC bunt and wild pitch got her to third for Kayla Jackson to drive her home, 1-0.

The Blossoms tacked on one in the third off a Taylor Russell single to left that plated Beth Johnson. Then, they got two more in the fourth after a leadoff homerun from Katie Bowman and an error by ECU that allowed Sara Matthews to bring in the fourth run, 4-0.

ECU was unable to come up with any offense to match in the game as Kayla Jackson performed up to her normal high standard, allowing just four hits in the game. UAM sealed the five-inning win with four runs on four hits in the bottom half of the fifth to seal the 8-0 victory.  Jackson herself drove in the winning runs with a double to left, scoring Matthews and Johnson.

The second game went scoreless into the fifth inning, as Katie Slaughter held the Tigers scoreless despite five hits. The 0-0 stalemate was broken in the top of the fifth when Peyton Watson drove in a pair with a double to the left field corner. Kayla Jackson got a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh, but the Blossoms could not get the tying run across before the final out.

The two teams will face each other tomorrow in the series finale. The first game of the doubleheader has been moved up to 10:30 a.m. in anticipation of the rain moving into Monticello tomorrow afternoon.