YUMA, Ariz. -- Arizona Western Softball opened a crucial ACCAC rivalry doubleheader against Eastern Arizona College at Charlie Dine Softball Field on Thursday, earning a 7-3 comeback win in Game 1 before falling 2-1 in a tightly contested Game 2 to split the series and maintain momentum in the conference standings.

Larissa Rueda led the Matadors in Game 1, driving in three runs with a pair of hits including a double, while Aaliyah Soderlund delivered a key home run to spark the offense. In the circle, Brooklyn Cann earned the win with 4.1 innings before Jessica Smith closed it out with 2.2 innings of relief and three strikeouts.

Eastern Arizona struck first in Game 1, manufacturing runs in each of the opening two innings for a 2-0 lead. Arizona Western responded in the third, tying the game 2-2. The Matadors seized control in the fourth inning, erupting for four runs—highlighted by Soderlund's home run and a clutch double from Rueda—to take a 6-2 advantage. AWC tacked on an insurance run in the fifth, and the pitching duo of Cann and Smith limited Eastern Arizona to just one more run the rest of the way, securing the 7-3 victory.

Game 2 turned into a classic rivalry pitchers' duel, with Smith taking the ball for a complete game effort. Eastern Arizona capitalized on two first-inning errors to plate a pair of unearned runs, and those would prove decisive. Smith held the Gila Monsters to only three hits and did not allow an earned run, but the Matadors could only muster a single tally in the sixth when Rauni Gallegos singled home Corinna Talbot. Despite putting runners aboard in the late innings, Arizona Western was unable to complete the comeback, dropping the nightcap 2-1.

Rueda reached base three times in the second game, collecting two hits and a walk to lead the offense, while Smith struck out four in her seven-inning outing. Gallegos and Talbot each recorded a hit and contributed to the Matadors' sixth-inning rally. The Matadors' defensive effort was highlighted by the strong work from Smith, but two early miscues set the tone in a game where every run was unearned.

Up Next

Arizona Western continues its ACCAC rivalry series against Eastern Arizona College on Friday in Yuma, with a doubleheader scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Charlie Dine Softball Field.