MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Griffon Softball suffered its worst loss of the season in what proved to be the team's final game of 2016, 13-5 to Southern Arkansas in five innings. The Central Region 2 Tournament championship game loss ended the Griffons' season at 45-13, the third most wins in program history.
 
Southern Arkansas took a 10-0 lead after three innings, but Missouri Western cut the lead in half over the next two innings. A a three-run home run with one out in the bottom of the fifth was the dagger that ended the Griffons' season.
 
HOW THEY SCORED
1^st Inning
Brooke Goad hit a two-run home run to right center: 2-0 SAU
Ashton Atwell drove in one with a single to right: 3-0 SAU
Tyler Casada drove in one with a double to right center: 4-0 SAU
Summer Ehrig hit a two-RBI single to right center: 6-0 SAU (all charged to Janie Smith)
2^nd Inning
Atwell RBI single down the left field line: 7-0 SAU
3^rd Inning
Goad single to center drove in two: 9-0 SAU
Maddie Dow singled to center, one RBI: 10-0 SAU
4^th Inning
Shelbie Atwell doubled and advanced to third on a throwing error, Morgan Rathmann scored: 10-1 SAU
Paige Shifflett drove in Atwell with a bloop single to right: 10-2 SAU
Kailey Green hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Shifflett: 10-3 SAU
5^th Inning
Shifflett singled to left to drive in Rebekah Mueller and Megan Korgie: 10-5 SAU
Dow hit three-run home run to left: 13-5 SAU
 
IN THE BOX SCORE
- Shifflett went 2-3 at the plate with three RBIs and a run scored.
- Taylor Hamilton had her first multi-hit game of the regional, going 2-3
- Shelbie Atwell and Green had the other two RBIs for Missouri Western
- The Griffons totaled five hits, all coming in the fourth and fifth innings. Southern Arkansas had allowed three combined hits in its two previous regional games
- Janie Smith took the loss (24-10), allowing six runs, five earned, on five hits in one inning
- Saladino pitched the rest of the game, giving up eight hits and seven runs, six of them earned
 
NOTABLES
- Griffons finish with third most wins in program history
- Team's 23 conference wins were most in program history and tied for most ever by an MIAA team
- Two regional wins and sub-regional championship appearance for second time in program history
- First run-rule loss for Griffons all season
- Southern Arkansas one of three teams to beat Missouri Western twice this season (Augustana and Northwest Missouri)
- Last game for seniors Janie Smith, Shyanne Saladino and Emilie Laliberte