MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas baseball team made their first appearance of the 2016 season at Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field on Friday as SAU played host to in-region foes Central Missouri and Oklahoma Christian as part of day one of the 2016 SAU Baseball Invitational.
 
The home opener for Southern Arkansas turned out to be a great one for the team and fans alike as the Muleriders (5-2) came from behind to beat Central Missouri by a score of 4-3 in the first game of the day for SAU thanks to a two-run walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth by Billy Germaine. The Muleriders would then follow that up with a 6-3 win over Oklahoma Christian in the nightcap to earn the twin-bill sweep.
 
In that first game of the day, the Muleriders found it difficult to generate any offense against Central Missouri's starter Ethan Westphal as Westphal held the Muleriders to just three hits over the first six innings while also racking up nine strikeouts in the process.
 
The Muleriders would break through against Wesphal in the bottom of the seventh, however, as David LaFleur hammered a two-out, two-run homerun off the advertising signage in left-centerfield to bring the Muleriders to within a run, 3-2.
 
The Mules (1-4), who picked up their first win of the season in the game prior to facing SAU, had taken a 3-0 over the Muleriders thanks to a RBI double in the second and a two-run homerun in the fifth.
 
In the eighth neither team would score, sending the game to the ninth with the Mules leading by a run. In the top of that ninth, the Mules looked like they might be threatening to add to their lead as a leadoff walk and a one-out hit-by-pitch put runners on first and second. SAU reliever Makenzy Larsen, who started the ninth inning, would find a ground ball double play to escape the inning and send it to the bottom of the ninth for the middle of the Mulerider lineup.
 
In that frame, the Muleriders would get the leadoff man on base as Zach Silvers punched a single through the right side of the infield. In the next at-bat, the Muleriders looked to move Silvers, the tying run into scoring position, but after not able to get the sacrifice down, pinch-hitter Keaton Miller would foul out to the Mule first baseman for the first out.
 
Despite not being able to move the runner into scoring position, Germaine, the next hitter in the order, would pick up the team in a major way as he belted a game-ending two-run homerun off the football concession stand roof out in left field, giving SAU a thrilling 4-3 win over Central Missouri.
 
Not long after Germaine's heroics, the Muleriders retook the field, this time to take on Oklahoma Christian.
 
In that game, the Eagles (3-3) of Oklahoma Christian would get on the scoreboard first as cleanup hitter Jake Baxter launched a two-run homerun out to straightaway centerfield off of SAU starter Hunter Mayo. After giving up that homerun, however, Mayo would settled in to the start and the Muleriders offense would get to work backing Mayo in the bottom of the first.
 
In that frame, the Muleriders would strike for three runs on two hits with the big hit in the inning being a two-RBI double over the left fielder's head off the bat of Jake Tisevich. Two innings later, the Muleriders made it a 4-2 game as Trevor Rucker doubled into left field as well, scoring Germaine, who reached on a throwing error by the Eagles' third baseman to begin the inning.
 
The Muleriders would go on to add single runs in the sixth and seventh innings push their advantage out to four runs, 6-2 before the Eagles pushed across a run in the top of the eighth to bring the game to its eventual final of 6-3.
 
The Muleriders will be back in action tomorrow evening (Saturday) with a scheduled first-pitch time of 6 p.m. as they will take the University of Central Oklahoma in the final game of day two of the SAU Baseball Invitational. The first game of the day will start at noon and feature Central Missouri vs. Central Oklahoma while the second game will be between Oklahoma Christian and Washburn.