MAGNOLIA, Ark. – After completing a three-game Great American Conference series just two days prior, Southern Arkansas and Ouachita Baptist met once more for a mid-week non-conference affair on Tuesday afternoon at Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field.
This fourth-straight game between SAU and OBU ended up being a an extra-inning slugfest with the two teams combining for 28 runs on 29 hits before
Byron Reichstein walked-off in the bottom of the 10th to give SAU the 15-14 win.
The game started out in a fury with a combined eight runs crossing the plate in the first inning alone. Five of those runs were scored in the top of the inning as the Tigers (10-8) charged out in front. In the bottom of the inning, the Muleriders (18-9) would push across three runs on four hits to pull to within two runs, 5-3.
An inning later, SAU surged ahead 9-5, after they scored six runs on six hits. The runs in that inning came on two-RBI singles from
Trevor Rucker,
Jon Phillips, and a two-RBI double by
Chris Quinn. In the next half inning, however, OBU scored six runs to take a two-run lead, 11-9.
In the bottom of the third, SAU would cut the deficit to a single run, 11-10, as
Korey Keith doubled to centerfield, scoring
Chase Harvey.
The next two and a half innings would go scoreless before SAU scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to swing back on top, 14-11. The big blow in the inning for the Muleriders was a two-out, three-run homerun to centerfield off the bat of
Carver Rademacher. The fourth run in the inning came home on a single through the right side by
Justin Buchanan to score Quinn.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the ensuing half inning as the Tigers rallied for three runs to knot the game at 14-all.
Once again the next two innings would pass with no score as the game forged on into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, SAU reliever
Travis Johnson would make quick work of the Tigers as he retired the side in order, picking up back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Reichstein stepped up for his first at-bat of the game after entering as a defensive sub in the top of the ninth. Down 1-2 in the count, Reichstein would end the game on the next pitch as he served a line drive homerun opposite field down the left field line off of OBU reliever Lance Cullum.
Eight of the nine starters for SAU would collect at least one hit with six Muleriders notching multiple hits. Harvey led the way four hits as he went 4-for-6 with three runs scored. Rademacher also had a good day at the plate going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, one homerun, and four RBIs.
Johnson would get the win for the Muleriders as he improved to 2-1 on the season after working the final 3.1 innings. In his time on the mound, Johnson was a stopper as he allowed just one hit while striking out three.
The Muleriders are set to remain at home this weekend as they welcome in Henderson State for a three-game series starting on Friday, March 20 at 6 p.m. at Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field.
