Box Score

BETHANY, Okla. – Five runs over the final three innings helped Southern Nazarene knock off the No. 13-ranked Southern Arkansas Muleriders on Friday afternoon at the Cypert Athletic Facility.
 
The Muleriders (31-13, 19-6 GAC), who have already secured a spot in the upcoming 2013 Great American Conference Tournament, grabbed the game's initial lead in the top of the fourth when they struck for three runs in the frame on three hits. Jackson McCurdy got things going for the Muleriders in the inning as he doubled home Tyler Cameron. Two batters later, Jason Dahl hit a two-run double to left-centerfield to score McCurdy and William Townsend, who was hit-by-a-pitch in the previous at-bat.
 
The runs in the fourth were in support of SAU starting pitcher James Baune, who was cruising to that point in the game. Through the first three innings, Baune had allowed one hit and struck out four. After his offense gave him a lead, Baune continued to roll as he retired the Crimson Storm (17-23, 9-19 GAC) in order in the fourth and fifth innings.
 
In the sixth inning, however, the Crimson Storm would finally get to Baune as they scratched across a run to cut the Mulerider lead to 3-1. The Muleriders would get that run back to take a 4-1 lead in their next at-bats as Dahl scored when David Harris reached first base on an error.
 
The bottom of the frame is when Southern Nazarene would put together their best inning off of Baune. In that inning, the Crimson Strom were able to tie the game at four-all after scoring three runs on the strength of two homeruns. The first homerun in the inning was a two-run homer out to right field and the other was an inside-the-park homerun as the Muleriders' Tevlin Darden crashed into the wall in left field after he attempted to make the catch.
 
With the game tied at four-all, the Muleriders regained the lead as they got a clutch hit from Ryan Bell with two outs in the eighth inning to drive in Ryan Dardenne from second base. In the bottom of the frame, however, the Crimson Storm scored an unearned run to knot the game once more, this time at five-all.
 
After holding the Muleriders scoreless in the top of the ninth, the Crimson Storm worked Justin Thomas into a very tight spot as they loaded the bases with two outs. SNU's Jacob Inbody would then cash in the game-winning run as his flair dropped into right-centerfield.
 
The two teams will finish their series in a doubleheader on Saturday that is scheduled for a first-pitch of noon.