CONWAY, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas baseball team suffered a pair of tough extra-inning losses to Henderson State on Saturday evening at the University of Central Arkansas' Bear Stadium in Conway. SAU would fall in the first game, 7-5, in 10 innings and then fell by a run, 5-4, in eight innings in the scheduled seven-inning nightcap.
 
The losses drop the Muleriders to 18-11 overall and 8-6 in the GAC, while the wins lift the Reddies to 15-6 overall and 8-4 in the GAC.
 
In the opener, the Reddies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead through the first two innings as HSU scored a run in the first and another in the second. In the bottom of the third, SAU got on the board on a RBI groundout off the bat of Jon Phillips.
 
A half inning later saw the Reddies push their lead out to four runs, 5-1, as they scored three runs in the top of the fourth. All three of those runs were charged against SAU starter Landon Simpson, but each was unearned, however, as the Muleriders committed a throwing error on a potential inning-ending double play.
 
SAU would get one of the runs back in the bottom of the inning on a RBI groundout by William Townsend. Two innings later, the Muleriders pulled to within a run, 5-4, as they scored a pair of runs in the home half of the sixth. Driving in a run that inning was Byron Reichstein, while the other run scored on a wild pitch.
 
After a scoreless seventh, the Muleriders pushed across the tying run as Chris Quinn scored on a throwing error by the Henderson shortstop following a leadoff double by Quinn. The Reddies would eventually escape the inning to leave the game knotted at five-all.
 
Both teams would go down in order in the ninth to send game one into extras.
 
In the top of the 10th, HSU quickly placed the go-ahead run on base thanks to a catcher's interference in the lead off at-bat. A sacrifice bunt followed to move the runner into scoring position. Following a lineout in the ensuing at-bat, Henderson picked up a clutch two-out hit up the middle to plate the go-ahead run. A run of insurance came home in the next at-bat as an infield single then a bobble at shortstop allowed the runner to scamper home to make it a 7-5 game in favor of HSU.
 
The Muleriders would go down in order in the bottom of the 10th to end the first game.
 
In the nightcap, SAU jumped out to a 2-0 lead as they scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Neither of the runs was earned as the Muleriders benefitted from two Reddie errors in the frame.
 
The lead did not last long for the Muleriders as HSU scored twice in the next half inning to knot the game at two-all. As was the case for SAU in their two-run inning, neither run would be earned in HSU's two-run fourth.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, SAU took advantage of more HSU defensive miscues as they scored an unearned run to take a 3-2 lead. In the next half inning, however, the Reddies would rally and pick up another clutch two-out hit as Connor Brackhan drove in a pair on a single to right-centerfield on an 0-2 pitch.
 
After being held off the board in the sixth, the Muleriders would strike for a run in the seventh to force another extra-inning game against the Reddies. Leading to that tying score was a leadoff single by Reichstein, which was followed up two batters later with another single by Chase Harvey following a lengthy at-bat. The single by Harvey moved Reichstein to third base. A walk to Jon Phillips then loaded the bases for Billy Germaine, who hit a sacrifice fly  out to left field to chase home Reichstein to tie the game.
 
In the ensuing at-bat, Carver Rademacher launched a pitch into left-centerfield and looked to possibly have walked-off for the Muleriders, but a great leaping catch by Henderson's left fielder ended the inning and forced an eighth inning in the scheduled seven-inning game.
 
In the top of the eighth, the Reddies placed the go-ahead run on base as Claude Johnson singled up the middle to lead off the frame. During the next at-bat, Johnson advanced to second base on a wild pitch. A pair of fly outs followed to keep Johnson at second base, now with two outs. In the ensuing at-bat, HSU's Hunter Mayall dropped a full count pitch into left field to chase home Johnson to push Henderson up 5-4.
 
In the bottom of the frame, the Muleriders would be retired in order to end the game.
 
The third and final game of the series is set to be played back at Bear Stadium on Sunday, March 22 with a scheduled first-pitch time of 3 p.m.