By: Houston Taylor
TAMPA, Fla. – Fifth-ranked Southern Arkansas’ 10-7 fist game win Monday over No. 2 Tampa in the NCAA South Region baseball tournament championship forced a second game at Tampa Field, but the Spartans (46-9) ended the Muleriders’ season with a 20-3 blowout in the deciding game and earned a trip to the Division II College World Series May 22-29 in Cary, N.C.
SAU, coming out of the loser’s bracket, earned the right to face host Tampa in Monday’s championship with a weather delayed, late night 7-1 decision Sunday against Rollins (Fla.), and had to beat the Spartans twice to claim the South Region title and a national championship berth.
Southern Arkansas, playing six games in the tourney to Tampa’s four, simply ran out of pitching.
Junior All-America starting pitcher Hayden Simpson (Magnolia) took the mound in the deciding game Monday, going on just two days’ rest. Simpson made the start after tossing a complete-game win on Friday and was held to a limited number of innings against the Spartans. He gutted it out with an impressive performance, leaving after four innings in a 2-2 ballgame, limiting Tampa to six hits and two runs, while striking out eight.
The Spartans’ bats came alive with Simpson’s departure as they picked up five runs in the fifth, had an eight-run sixth and plated five more in the eighth, finishing with 21 hits in the contest. SAU pushed across its three runs on six hits.
Tampa had two home runs in the final game, both grand slams, while Southern Arkansas All-America shortstop Andrew Whittington (Texas City, Texas) added a solo.
Catcher Mike Blanke started the Spartan scoring flurry with his grand slam for the final four runs in the fifth, and pinch-hitter Larry Walicki closed the scoring in the eighth with a bases-loaded blast.
A.J. Pinera (8-1) earned the win for the Spartans, tossing six innings, while Evan Stobbs threw the final three for his 10th save of the year.
Senior Cole Lohden (Frisco, Texas), the first of five pitchers to follow Simpson, and coming off a 99-pitch performance Sunday, started the fifth and suffered the loss, giving up three runs without recording an out.
The Muleriders jumped out to a 7-1 lead in their opening win, pounding out 17 hits to Tampa’s 11. Senior Matt Speake (Tyler, Texas) (9-1) had a solid start on just three day’s rest, throwing five innings for the win. Senior Kris Marshall (Rockport, Texas) kept the Spartans in check, tossing the last four frames for his fourth save.
All-America senior third baseman Cannon Lester (El Dorado) had three hits in the win, including a pair of home runs, and finished with five RBI, while junior outfielder Chris Harrison (Saline, Mich.) also added a homer and two RBI.
Southern Arkansas placed three players on the region All-Tournament team in Simpson, Whittington and Lester. Blanke was tournament MVP.
The Muleriders finish the season at 47-10, their fifth consecutive 40-plus win season, earning their second regional championship game appearance. SAU has advanced to five NCAA regional tournaments, including three consecutive.
