Box Score

MONTICELLO, Ark. – South Arkansas rivals Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas met on the diamond on Friday for the opening game of their pivotal three-game weekend series to close out the regular season. After forcing the game into extras with a two-out run in the ninth, the No. 12-ranked Muleriders would fall to the No. 25-ranked Boll Weevils on a walk-off error in the bottom of the 10th.
 
Prior to the extra-innings drama, the Muleriders (33-15, 17-11 GAC) got on the board first in the game as they scored twice in the first inning. Both of those runs for SAU were unearned as the Muleriders capitalized on a pair of errors by the Boll Weevils (32-12, 21-7 GAC).
 
An inning later, the Boll Weevils would tally their first run of the game as they scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second inning. Two innings later, the Boll Weevils would knot the game at two-all as a single through the right side off the bat of Corey Wood scored Bronson Gillam.
 
In the top of the fifth, the Muleriders would put together a prime scoring opportunity as the first two men reached base to start the inning. Trevor Rucker started the inning off with a walk, which was then followed by a hit-by-pitch to Jon Phillips. After a swinging strikeout was recorded for the first out, the Muleriders would plate the go-ahead run as Jackson McCurdy singled up the middle, scoring Rucker. A groundball double play followed to get UAM out of the inning.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, SAU starter Dylan Lynn would get a one-pitch out to start the frame, but a first-pitch hit-by-pitch and a four-pitch walk followed to put the Boll Weevils in a prime scoring opportunity. Following the walk, Ray Johnson would drive in the tying run on a single through the left side. Lynn then got a called strike three for the second out, but the Boll Weevils' Chad Miller drove in the go-ahead run on a single to right field, making it 4-3 UAM.
 
That score would stand until the two outs in the top of the ninth, when the Muleriders would benefit from another Boll Weevil error. This one came with William Townsend trying to advance to third base on a wild pitch. On Townsend's attempt to advance, the Boll Weevil catcher would commit a throwing error to allow Townsend to score on the play.
 
After being held scoreless in the bottom of the ninth and holding the Muleriders off the board in the top of the 10th, the Boll Weevils would get a leadoff single D'Marco Poindexter to begin the bottom of the 10th. Following Poindexter's leadoff single, he was then moved over to second base on a sacrifice bunt. In the next at-bat, Mulerider reliever Preston Gray would get a groundball to the shortstop, but an errant throw on the play allowed Poindexter to come around to score the winning run.
 
The Muleriders and Boll Weevils will conclude their series with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon starting at 1 p.m.