MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas junior designated hitter
Billy Germaine drove in six runs on the strength of a two-RBI double and a grand slam in the opening game of Friday's doubleheader against No. 22 Central Missouri to help lift the Muleriders past the Mules, 7-1. UCM, however, rebounded and took the well-pitched nightcap by a score of 1-0 to force the split.
The productive day at the plate for Germaine started in the first inning when he laced a double into left-centerfield to score
Chase Harvey and
Korey Keith. Harvey had previously reached on a single through the left side and Keith was put on base thanks to a hit-by-pitch. Two batters later, Germaine would account for the Muleriders' (6-5) third run in the inning as he scored on a RBI triple to left field off the bat of
Chris Quinn.
Over the next three innings, the score would remain 3-0 in favor of SAU as both starting pitchers settled into their respective starts.
In the bottom of the fifth, however, SAU ended the string of zeros on both sides of the scoreboard as they plated four runs in the frame to take a 7-0 lead. All four runs in that inning were driven in by Germaine as he, on the first-pitch, belted a line drive grand slam out to left field off of newly-inserted reliever Grant Gavin.
Prior to the bomb by Germaine, SAU had loaded the bases with one out after Harvey reached first base on an infield single to the first baseman, which was then followed by a hit-by-pitch to
Jon Phillips and a walk to Keith.
The run support generated by the bat of Germaine was in favor of SAU game one starter
Timothy Buchanan, who would end up pitching eight strong innings, scattering five hits, walking none, striking out six, and allowing just one unearned run.
Colton Strother tossed the final inning for SAU in the opener as he worked a scoreless ninth with a pair of strikeouts in his season debut.
Game two was a classic pitcher's duel that saw a scheduled seven-inning contest go nine full innings with the Mules (3-3) scratching across the eventual winning run in the top of the ninth.
In that top of the ninth, UCM's Matt Milner laced a single passed Harvey at second base after the ball switched direction on the sure-handed Mulerider second baseman before he could make a play on the ball. Immediately following the knock, Milner was lifted for pinch-runner Victor Brancato, who promptly swiped second base on a razor-thin call at the bag.
Moments later Brancato ended up at third base on a passed ball by the Mulerider backstop. During the same at-bat, Brancato would score the go-ahead and eventual winning run on flair single into shallow left field off the bat of Colin Frederick.
That RBI hit by Fredrick would end the day for SAU game two starter
Preston Gray, who was brilliant on the mound otherwise, going 8.1 innings with five hits, two walks, 11 strikeouts and one unearned run.
Travis Johnson would relieve Gray and worked out of the inning without any further damage to give SAU a chance in the bottom of the frame.
In that home ninth, SAU placed the tying run on base with two outs via a full-count walk. That potential game-tying run, however, was cut down trying to advance on a ball in the dirt to end the game.
The Muleriders will now play Lincoln University in a single game on Saturday, February 14. First-pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m., but the actual first-pitch time may vary based on the outcome of the Central Missouri-Lincoln game earlier in the afternoon.
