MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The East Central University softball team traveled to Magnolia, Arkansas for their Great American Conference opening series with Southern Arkansas University. Despite their efforts, the Tigers were tripped up by the Muleriders in back-to-back three-run contests before falling by five in game three at Dawson Field.
 
ECU lost by a 3-0 margin in the opener before dropping another 3-0 decision in game two and a 9-4 decision in game three, falling 7-9 overall and 0-3 in GAC play.
 
The Muleriders offense generated 28 hits on the weekend while the Tigers had 14, with both teams leaving more than 15 runners on base across the series.
 
Notable performances for ECU included Megan Lesko, who led the way with three hits, including two in game three that put the Tigers in position to score. Gabi Quintanilla, Elyse LeClair, and Caton Muncy also contributed with two hits each, with Quintanilla driving in ECU's first run of the series. RBIs were also recorded by Zoe Acosta and Cheyenne Adair.
 
In the circle, Taylor Spence and Lauren HerrNeckar performed admirably pitching a complete game and only allowing three earned runs each in the first two games. However, they were both tagged with losses.
 
In the series finale, Taryn O'Brien took the loss in 4.1 innings on the rubber with six runs on eight hits. O'Brien held SAU scoreless for four straight frames, but their explosive fifth inning resulted in Amera Garner being brought in for relief. She yielded three runs on six hits in 1.1 innings before Lindsey Mauppin closed out the game on the mound.
 
The ECU women's softball team will return to Ada and regroup as they finally prepare for their first home series of the 2024 season against Southern Nazarene starting on Friday, March 1 at 3 pm.