RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Southern Nazarene University may be hitting a stride towards the Great American Conference Championships as it swept the No. 2-ranked team in the Central Region, Arkansas Tech, 4-1 and 6-5 Saturday afternoon.
 
The Crimson Storm (19-26, 15-18 GAC) recorded their fourth doubleheader sweep of the year and inched closer to a 20-win season.
 
In the opener, Melissa Padilla, Jill Clemence and Hannah LeBeau combined for six of SNU's 10 hits. Padilla and Clemence each went 2-for-4 while LeBeau went 2-for-3. Clemence scored a run while Padilla had an RBI and a run scored. LeBeau also had an RBI.
 
Kayla Wyatt picked up the win to move to 9-12 as she gave up just one run on three hits and struck out seven in seven innings of work.
 
Padilla put the Storm on the board in the top of the first when she singled to left field to score Kylie Lang and give SNU a 1-0 lead. Southern Nazarene added two more in the top of the fourth to take a 3-0 advantage. Clemence scored the first run of the inning on a wild pitch before a LeBeau single to right field scored Padilla. SNU added one more in the top of the seventh on a Sam Smith single to right field that scored Alyssa Hughes.
 
The Golden Suns finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh on a solo home run, but Wyatt closed the door from there.
 
In the nightcap, the top third of the lineup hit a combined 6-for-10. Lang and Clemence each went 2-for-3 as Lang scored two runs while Clemence drove in two. Smith also went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Katelyn Brown moved to 8-14 on the year as she gave up just three runs on six hits and struck out two in 3.2 innings of relief. Kayla Wyatt came on to get the final out of the game as she recorded her school season record fifth save by striking out the only batter she faced. Ashley Potter got the start and gave up just two runs on two hits in three innings.
 
SNU got out to a quick lead in the second game. The Storm took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Jessica Thompson sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Three more runs pushed the score to 4-0 as Padilla singled to right field to make it 2-0 and then Brown belted her first home run of her career tow a two-run shot to left center.
 
ATU scored tow in the bottom of the third, but SNU added two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh, that it needed in the bottom half of the inning. Both runs came in on a Clemence double to left center to put the Storm on top 6-2.
 
The Golden suns made a late run and cut to 6-5 with the bases loaded and two outs. That's when Wyatt came on to get the final out and secure the sweep.