SAU Softball Games Canceled
By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas softball team’s 2010 season home-opener will have to wait a few days as their scheduled 2 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday with Lyon College has been postponed due to the threat of thunderstorms forecast for the area.
The doubleheader with Lyon has been rescheduled for March 30, but will be played in Batesville with a start time of 1 p.m. The Lady Muleriders won’t play at home now until April 1-2 when they host Ouachita Baptist in Gulf South Conference doubleheaders each of the two days.
SAU was scheduled to open GSC play this past weekend at Arkansas Tech, but those games had to be postponed due to a flu outbreak on the Southern Arkansas team. They have been rescheduled for March 23-24 in Russellville with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday and a noon start for Wednesday’s twin-bill. The Lady Muleriders were originally scheduled to play at Central Baptist College in Conway on March 23, but that doubleheader has been canceled and won’t be made up. The Lady Muleriders will open league play this weekend at Delta State. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 3 p.m., followed by a noon doubleheader on Sunday.
Southern Arkansas’ Rodenroth Receives GSC Softball Honor
By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas outfielder Kelsey Rodenroth (Fouke) has been named the Gulf South Conference West Division 
softball player of the week for her performance in the period ending Sunday.
A 5-5 true freshman, Rodenroth led the Lady Muleriders to a 3-2 record on the week, going 7 for 19 in hitting .368 with a .947 slugging percentage. She belted three home runs, had a triple and drove in eight runs, while scoring six. Rodenroth had three hits, including two home runs, with five RBI in SAU’s opening 15-4 win at Southeastern Oklahoma State. The dingers were back-to-back in the third and fourth innings, three-run and two-run shots, respectively. She gave SAU its lone run with a solo homer in their final 8-1 loss to SOSU.
Sunday Lady Mulerider Softball Games Canceled
By: Houston Taylor
DURANT, Okla. – Sunday’s final softball games in the Southeastern Oklahoma State Festival were canceled due to rain overnight, making the fields too wet to play on.
Southern Arkansas was scheduled to play two more games Sunday, against both the host Savage Storm and Texas A&M International.
The Lady Muleriders (3-4) finished the festival 2-1, picking up 15-4 and 5-4 wins over SOSU and International, respectively, before dropping an 8-1 decision to Southeastern Oklahoma Saturday.
SAU travels this weekend to Denton, Texas for the Texas Woman’s Tournament. They will play Incarnate Word (Texas) and host Texas Woman’s each on both Friday and Saturday, at 2 and 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday. Following those four games, Southern Arkansas will face East Central (Okla.) in Ada on Sunday in an 11 a.m. doubleheader.
SAU Softball goes 2-1 in Oklahoma
By: Houston Taylor
DURANT, Okla. – The Southern Arkansas softball team had a 2-1 day Saturday in games played at Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Lady Muleriders (3-4) defeated the host Savage Storm 15-4 and Texas A&M International 5-4 in nine innings, before dropping an 8-1 decision in a re-match with SOSU.
Rain-soaked fields caused the cancellation of Southeastern Oklahoma State’s South Central Shootout this weekend, but its home field was dry enough for three teams to get games in.
SAU had 19 hits, including three home runs in the 15-4 win in their opening game against the Savage Storm. Outfielder Kelsey Rodenroth (Fouke) belted two dingers and outfielder Stephanie Montes (Houston, Texas) bagged one.
Julie Essary (Paris, Texas) (2-0) picked up the win for Southern Arkansas, throwing six innings.
The Lady Muleriders kept the hits coming with 10 more in their 5-4 win against Texas A&M International (4-12), but none bigger than Montes’ single to left center to push across SAU’s winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Montes also added a double in the game, as did third baseman Katie Lenderman (Plano, Texas).
Alex Doyle (Carrollton, Texas) got the win, throwing three innings in relief, striking out four.
SOSU (7-6) came back strong in the day’s finale, picking up 14 hits in their 8-1 defeat of Southern Arkansas. Rodenroth gave the Lady Muleriders’ their lone run with her third homer of the day.
Doyle (1-3) suffered the loss in her start, lasting four innings.
Rodenroth had five hits in the three games, three of those for the long ball, and drove in six runs. Montes added five hits and 5 RBI on the day.
Barring any cancellations due to a rainy forecast, SAU will play Texas A&M International at 10 a.m. Sunday, followed by a noon game with Southeastern Oklahoma.
Southern Arkansas Softball Scrambling for Games
By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Due to weather related issues, Southern Arkansas softball Coach Kevin Allison has announced several changes to the team’s schedule. The Lady Muleriders have added a previously unscheduled non-conference 1 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday at Arkansas-Monticello.
Six games scheduled in the Southeastern Oklahoma State South Central Shootout this weekend are in doubt due to the snow that Durant has received over the past week. More information will be forthcoming on any possible changes or additions to this weekend. SAU has also added an 11 a.m. doubleheader February 28 against East Central (Okla.) in Ada.
Winter weather and soggy field conditions from previous rains have played havoc with Southern Arkansas and other teams getting their seasons underway. The Lady Muleriders were scheduled last weekend to open with five games at the Ouachita Baptist Classic in Arkadelphia, but those games didn’t materialize. Instead, SAU traveled Saturday to Cleveland, Miss. for a non-league doubleheader with Gulf South Conference West Division foe Delta State. Southern Arkansas dropped both those games, 6-3 and then 4-3 in an extra eight-inning affair to open the season 0-2.
Following Wednesday’ twin-bill at UAM and any possible games this weekend, the Lady Muleriders’ next scheduled games are February 26-27 at the Texas Woman’s Tournament in Denton.
Weather Changes Lady Mulerider Softball and Tennis Schedules
By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The winter weather has forced changes once again to the start of the Southern Arkansas softball season and has canceled the Lady Muleriders’ season-opening tennis matches.
The SAU softball team has seen its schedule change twice since Wednesday. The squad was supposed to have opened their 2010 season Saturday-Monday in Arkadelphia at the Ouachita Baptist Classic, but Monday’s game has now been canceled. Saturday and Sunday’s games remain the same at the classic, with the exception of an additional game on Saturday. Southern Arkansas will still open its season Saturday in facing Tarleton State (Texas) at 11 a.m. and Drury (Mo.) at 1 p.m., but will now also take on Delta State (Miss.) at 6 p.m. They will conclude play Sunday with Southwest Baptist (Mo.) at 9 a.m. and Lincoln (Mo.) at 11 a.m.
The Lady Mulerider tennis team was to open the spring portion of their 2009-10 season Friday in Arkadelphia with matches against both Drury and Tarleton State, but they have been canceled. No announcement has been made on whether the two matches will be rescheduled. Barring any additions to the schedule, the tennis team will now see its first action of the season February 23 in Russellville against Arkansas Tech in a 2 p.m. non-conference match.
SAU Softball Season-Opening Games Delayed
By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas softball team was set to open its 2010 season Friday in Arkadelphia at the Ouachita Baptist Classic, but due to inclement weather, they’ll now have to wait an extra day.
The classic was to be played over the weekend Friday through Sunday, but has now been moved to a Saturday through Monday format, with all game times staying the same. The Lady Muleriders will now open their season on Saturday, facing Tarleton State (Texas) at 11 a.m. and then squaring off against Drury (Mo.) that afternoon at 1 p.m. On Sunday, SAU takes on Southwest Baptist (Mo.) at 9 a.m. and Lincoln (Mo.) at 11 a.m., and will conclude play Monday at 10 a.m. with another game against Tarleton State.
Southern Arkansas opens the season with its first 19 games on the road before hosting Lyon College on March 10.
