GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – The Southern Arkansas baseball team opened their 2016 season with a one-run loss to Cameron University in their first game of the day and then dropped a 5-1 game against Washburn University in the nightcap on Friday.
The two games played by the Muleriders (0-2) on Friday were a part of the DII Classic at the Ballpark at Grand Prairie, which is being hosted by SAU for the second-straight year.
In the game against Cameron, the Aggies (1-0) would jump out to a quick 1-0 lead by scoring a single run in the top of the first inning. The Muleriders would answer right back in the bottom of the frame with a pair of runs to take a 2-1 lead. Both of those runs came home on a
Justin Buchanan double down the left field line.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Muleriders would add two more runs to take a 4-1 lead thanks to a two-RBI double to right-center off the bat of
Jake Tisevich.
A solo homerun by Cameron came in the next half inning to make it a two-run game, 4-2, and an inning later, the Aggies struck for four runs to slingshot their way on top of the Muleriders by two runs, 6-4.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Muleriders would knot the game at six-all as
Billy Germaine belted a two-run homerun out to left-centerfield.
Neither team would score in the eighth, but the Aggies scratched across a run in the top of the ninth inning as they rallied with two outs in the frame to grab the lead. SAU would go quietly in the bottom of the inning as the Aggies secured the one-run win.
In SAU's nightcap, the Muleriders found themselves down early once more as the Ichabods (1-0) of Washburn scored three in the first with all three runs coming on a three-run homerun off the bat of David Gauntt.
Despite the early hole, the Muleriders came out in the bottom of the first and immediately loaded the bases with no outs as Tisevich lead off with a single which was followed by a single by
Trevor Rucker and then a drawn walk by
David LaFleur.
The Icahbods' starting pitcher, Mike Hefferan would minimize the potential damage, however, as the Muleriders were only able to push across one run on a RBI groundout by
Austin Bishoff.
From there, the Muleriders would go on to out-hit Washburn 5-0, but the Ichabods kept the Muleriders off the scoreboard while also benefitting themselves from a pair of SAU errors as Washburn tacked on single unearned runs in the fourth and fifth innings to bring the score to its eventual final of 5-1.
The Muleriders will look to bounce back on Saturday as they play another two games starting with a non-conference game against East Central at 1 p.m. and another matchup against Washburn starting at 7 p.m.
