ALVA, Okla. – A 10-run, 15-hit attack in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader propelled the Southern Arkansas baseball team to a 10-4 road win over Northwestern Oklahoma, but NWOSU would edge SAU in the nightcap 3-2 to force the split.
In the opener, five Muleriders (13-8, 5-3 GAC) would pick up multiple hits with
Carver Rademacher leading the way with three hits. Of the 15 hits SAU cranked out in game one, five went for extra base hits as all five of those were doubles.
The scoring for the Muleriders started in the second inning when
Chris Quinn doubled home
Trevor Rucker. Two innings later, SAU plated two runs thanks to a RBI infield single off the bat of
Keaton Miller and a RBI by
Byron Reichstein as he reached on an error by the Rangers (9-9, 4-7 GAC).
In each of the next two innings, the Muleriders would add single runs on a RBI infield single by Rademacher in the fifth and a RBI double by
Jon Phillips in the sixth.
The Phillips RBI gave SAU a 5-2 lead over NWOSU, but the Rangers would pull to within a run, 5-4, in the bottom of the seventh as Jeff Martin hit a two-run homerun off of Mulerider starter
Preston Gray.
In the top of the eighth, however, the Muleriders would get one of those runs back on a RBI single into left field by
Chase Harvey, making it a 6-4 game. An inning later in the top of the ninth, SAU added four runs of insurance to bring the game to its eventual final of 10-4. In that ninth, SAU got a RBI single by Miller, a two-RBI double by
William Townsend, and a RBI single by Harvey.
The winning pitcher for SAU was Gray as he improved to 4-2 on the season. Gray would pitch seven complete innings, scatter nine hits, allow four runs, walk two and strike out seven.
Colton Strother would pitch the final two innings for SAU and he was perfect in his time on the mound while collecting a pair of strikeouts.
In the nightcap, hits continued to come for the Muleriders and the Rangers, but runs were at a premium.
NWOSU struck first in the game on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. SAU answered back in the next half inning as Rucker launched his fourth homerun of the season, knotting the game at one-all. In the bottom of the third, NWOSU regained the lead on a solo homerun by Martin, his second of the day. One more run came home for the Rangers in the fifth to make it a 3-1 game.
In the top of the seventh, SAU attempted a comeback as Rucker led off the frame with a double to left field. In the next at-bat, Rademacher scored Rucker on a single to left field, but was later cut down trying to stretch it to a double. Miller then followed with a single to put the tying run on base for SAU, but NWOSU's Chase Randle was able to get the next two batters out to earn the save and give the Rangers a 3-2 win.
The rubber game of the series is set to be played on Sunday afternoon starting at noon at Myers Stadium in Alva.