BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Southern Nazarene lives to see another day at the Great American Conference Championships after it held on for a 5-4 win in the loser's bracket over Arkansas-Monticello. SNU dropped its opening game of the postseason tournament 2-0 to No. 8 Arkansas Tech.
 
It was the second straight year the Crimson Storm (28-30) ended the Cotton Blossoms' (30-28) season in in the second game of the GAC Championships.
 
In the opener, Kayla Wyatt gave up just one hit and allowed two runs, but Arkansas Tech's Jalissa Gum tossed the third no-hitter in GAC Championships history.
 
Both runs for the Golden Suns came on a two-run home to left field by Janie Knowles in the bottom of the second. Wyatt walked just two and hit one, but the Storm had just one base runner the entire day.
 
Sam Smith drove home the first run in the elimination game when she hit a deep ball to left center to sacrifice home Sydni Toilolo to put the Storm up 1-0 through the first. Toilolo made it 2-0 in the bottom of the third when she roped a double to left center to score Cheyenne Reynolds. Smith then made it 5-0 with her 14^th home run of the year with a 3-run bomb to right center.
 
The Cotton Blossoms finally got on the board in the top of the fourth with three to cut it to 5-3. Monticello added one more in the top of the seventh and had the bases loaded with two outs left, but Wyatt came through at least one more time as she sat down the last batter.
 
The senior struck out eight on the night as she gave up four runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits in the complete game. Wyatt moved to 19-14 with the win. Toilolo went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a two runs scored while Smith drove in four runs and scored one while going 1-for-2.