SHAWNEE, Okla. – The No. 15-ranked Southern Arkansas baseball team scored six runs over the final three innings to help preserve a 10-5 win over Oklahoma Baptist in the series finale on Saturday afternoon.
 
In the win, the Muleriders (8-5, 1-2 GAC), saw their offense jumpstart itself after being held in check during Friday's doubleheader as SAU scored 10 runs on 15 hits with three of those hits leaving the yard in Saturday's series finale game.
 
The scoring for the Muleriders started in the third as they pushed across three runs in the frame to grab a 3-0 lead. In that inning, the Muleriders would score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jake Tisevich, a double to left-centerfield off the bat of Trevor Rucker, and on a single to centerfield off the bat of Austin Bishoff.
 
Two innings later, the Muleriders would tack on another run to grab a 4-0 lead as Billy Germaine drove in Rucker on a single to left field.
 
In the sixth, the Bison (9-2, 2-1 GAC) would chase SAU starter Hunter Mayo as a leadoff single then a walk set the table for Felipe Gonzalez as he hit a three-run homerun off of Mayo to cut the Mulerider lead down to a single run, 4-3.
 
Eric Schildt would come on in relief for the Muleriders following Gonzalez's homerun and Schildt was able to work out of the inning as he preserved the SAU lead.
 
The Mulerider offense would quickly thank Schildt for holding the lead in the bottom of the sixth as Bishoff connected for a two-run homerun to left-centerfield in the top of the seventh, making it a 6-3 game in favor of SAU.
 
The Bison, however, would get those two runs right back in the bottom of the frame to once again make it a one-run game, 6-5.
 
In the top of the eighth, Tisevich began to add insurance runs for the Muleriders as he singled home Byron Brooks, putting SAU on top by a pair of runs, 7-5.
 
In the bottom of the frame, the Muleriders turned to the bullpen once more and called upon Jared Fielden to pick up the six-out save. Fielden would strikeout the first Bison he faced in the frame, but after a single, a walk, and a wild pitch, Fielden had work himself off the ropes as he got a looking punchout to end the inning.
 
Like the Mulerider offense did for Schildt in the seventh, they would come out in the top of the ninth and thanked Fielden for holding the Bison scoreless in the half inning prior as SAU scored three runs to create some breathing room.
 
All three of those runs were scored on homeruns as Germaine led off the inning with a solo shot to left field and then four batters later, Justin Buchanan connected for a two-run blast out to left field.
 
Fielden would then come back out in the bottom of the ninth and retired the first man on strikes before inducing a game-ending double-play as he snagged a liner back at him following an error that let the previous batter reach.
 
The Muleriders will now prepare for a mid-week clash with former conference rival Delta State as the Statesmen come to Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field on Tuesday, February 23. First-pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.