Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

SEARCY, Ark. – The No. 3-ranked Southern Arkansas baseball team stretched their winning streak out eight games as they won the opener of Friday afternoon's doubleheader by a score of 4-2, but Harding bounce back and snapped SAU's streak with a 4-2 win of their own in the nightcap.
 
In the opener, the Muleriders (21-5, 10-4 GAC) got a solid pitching performance from starter Dylan Lynn and all four runs scored by SAU directly involved his battery-mate Justin Buchanan as Buchanan drove in three runs and scored another.
 
The first of those RBIs for Buchanan came in the top of the first inning when he singled through the left side of the infield to score Tyler Cameron, who walked to lead off the game. Two innings later, Buchanan staked the Muleriders to a 3-0 lead as he hit a two-run single into left-centerfield. Buchanan later scored in the inning to make it 4-0 SAU as Josh Rodriguez reached on a fielder's choice.
 
Lynn (4-1) would make that 4-0 score stand until the seventh inning when the Bisons (15-8, 7-5 GAC) plated a run on a sacrifice fly. That sac fly would go on to end the inning as the Bisons' Victor Guerra got caught trying to advance to second following the initial flyout.
 
The Muleriders would threaten to score some insurance runs in the top of the eighth as they got consecutive one-out singles, but a sacrifice bunt and a groundout to the shortstop turned SAU away that inning.
 
In the bottom of that frame, Colton Strother came on in relief of Lynn. Lynn exited the game having worked seven innings, allowing one run on seven hits, walking one and striking out three. Strother would pitch a perfect eighth inning in relief, but ran into trouble when he returned to the mound in the ninth.
 
In that frame, the first two Bisons batters reached base without the benefit of a hit as Matt Calhoun led off with a full-count hit-by-pitch. James Anderson then followed that up with a full-count walk. That would spell the end of the outing for Strother as the Muleriders turned to the bullpen for their closer Preston Gray.
 
Gray would work quickly in recording the first out of the inning as he induced a first-pitch flyout to centerfield. On the next pitch, however, the Bisons loaded the bases on a single to right field. A fielder's choice in the next at-bat gave the Muleriders the second out of the inning, but it also allowed a run to score, making it a 4-2 game in favor of SAU. In the ensuing at-bat, Gray would secure his sixth save of the season as he got a groundout to end the game.
 
In the nightcap, the Muleriders would jump out to a 2-0 lead through the first two innings of play, but a three-run third inning and a single run in the fifth gave Bisons a 4-2 advantage. That would eventually be the final score of the game as the Bisons pitchers would limit the Muleriders to just three hits after SAU's two-run second inning.
 
The Muleriders and Bisons are set to conclude their series tomorrow morning as they will have a first-pitch time of 11 a.m.