BETHANY, Okla. - Southern Nazarene kicked off their three game conference series with the Golden Suns in exciting fashion. After a back and forth contest with Arkansas Tech, SNU's Kristen Mullendore was able to drive in the winning run in extra innings to take game one of the series.

The Crimson Storm (24-20, 14-8 GAC) wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to an early lead in the first inning. After a pair of baserunners reached, Eden Anderson launched a two-run homer to left center to give SNU a quick 2-0 advantage.

SNU added to its lead in the third when Macy Stewart delivered an RBI double to push the margin to 3-0. The Golden Suns (29-9, 18-4 GAC) responded in the fourth, capitalizing on an error before a three-run home run evened the score at 3-3.

The Storm answered right back in the bottom half of the inning. Aggressive baserunning and a well-executed bunt from Kristen Mullendore allowed SNU to reclaim a 4-3 lead.

Arkansas Tech continued to battle, taking its first lead of the game in the fifth after a solo home run and an RBI double made it 5-4. Once again, Southern Nazarene had a response, as Anderson crushed her second home run of the night to tie things up at 5-5.

From there, the Storm pitching staff settled in. Ashley Larson provided two strong innings in relief, while Olivia Hernandez came on late and shut the door to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the eighth.

In the final frame, SNU put together its most important rally of the night. After a Ella Sottile walk, a double from Presley Brott and a walk to Quinlyn Johnson, Mullendore stepped to the plate and delivered the game-winning single up the middle, scoring the go-ahead run and sealing the 6-5 victory in walk-off fashion.

Hernandez earned the win in the circle, while Anderson led the offense with two home runs and three RBIs in a standout performance.

Next Up

The Crimson Storm will now finish their series with Arkansas Tech. The two squads are set to play a doubleheader on Friday, April 10 at noon.