MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas baseball team held a pair of three-run leads throughout their mid-week game against LSU-Shreveport, but a back-and-forth contest forced SAU to have to rally for a run in the bottom of the ninth to come away with a 10-9 win on Tuesday night at Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field.
The first of the three-run leads for the Muleriders (20-11) came in the very first inning when the Muleriders were able to load the bases with no outs thanks to a pair of hit-by-pitches and a walk.
Justin Buchanan, the SAU cleanup hitter, promptly cleared the bases as he tripled to centerfield, scoring
Trevor Rucker,
Keaton Miller and
Billy Germaine.
That score would remain until the top of the fourth inning when the Pilots (20-12) pushed across a run to make it a 3-1 game.
In the top of the next inning, LSUS would strike for four runs on four hits to take a two-run lead, 5-3. In the bottom of the frame, the Muleriders would get one of those runs back as
Zach Silvers picked up a two-out RBI through the left side, scoring
Jake Tisevich, who hit a hustle double in the previous at-bat.
After holding the Pilots scoreless in the sixth, the Muleriders would strike for three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a two-run lead of their own, this one at 7-5. The big blow for the Muleriders was a two-RBI double down the right field line by Tisevich.
A run by the Pilots in the top of the seventh made it a one-run game, 7-6, but a two-run mammoth homerun out to left field by Rucker in the bottom half gave SAU their second three-run lead as the score became 9-6, Muleriders.
In the top of the eighth, the Pilots would cash in a pair of walks to begin the inning as both runs scored, making it a one-run game once more, 9-8.
A scoreless and quick bottom of the eighth gave way to the top of the ninth where the Pilots were able to knot the game at nine-all on a sacrifice fly off of SAU closer
Jared Fielden. Fielden would work out of the top of the ninth on the next pitch following the game-tying sac fly as third baseman Silvers snared a screaming line drive off the bat of the Pilots' Garrett Lambert.
In the bottom of the inning, the Muleriders sent the top of their order to the plate beginning first with Rucker. Rucker would have a quality at-bat to lead off the inning as he fouled off seven pitches before falling victim to a swinging strikeout, but one his swing-and-miss, the ball got past the Pilots' catcher and Rucker was able to reach first base safely.
With Rucker on first base, Miller attempted to move him over on a sacrifice bunt and Miller would be successful in that attempt, but he would also reach as the Pilots' first baseman committed an error allowing Miller to reach. On that error, Rucker was able to advance to third base with no outs as he represented the potential winning run.
An intentional walk to Germaine would follow, loading the bases with no outs. Needing just a deep fly ball to bring home Rucker on a sacrifice fly, Buchanan would collect his fourth hit of the game as dropped a single near the right field line to end the game.
The Muleriders will now shift their attention towards the weekend as they will have to go on the road once more and take on Harding University for a three-game Great American Conference series beginning on Friday, April 1 at 3 p.m.
