DURANT, Okla. – The Southern Arkansas baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Southeastern Oklahoma with a 7-2 win in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader, and an 8-4 win in the nightcap. The doubleheader sweep gives the Muleriders the series sweep and a 3-0 start to Great American Conference play.
TEAM RECORDS
Southern Arkansas Muleriders (6-3, 3-0 GAC)
Southeastern Oklahoma Savage Storm (1-8, 0-3 GAC)
PITCHING DECISIONS – Game 1
W –
Dalton Algiene (2-1)
L – Cody Nitson (1-2)
S - NONE
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Muleriders broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third after putting together a two-out rally that produced a pair of runs. That rally started with a full-count walk to Michael Page. Blake Hall then singled up the middle and then Trevor Rucker walked on four pitches to load the bases. A third walk in the inning followed to Jacob Richardson to force in Page for the first run. On that walk to Richardson, the pitch was wild and Hall displayed tremendous base running as he scored from second to make it 2-0 SAU.
- In the top of the fourth, Mark Fontenot lead off with a homerun to right field, giving the Muleriders a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of that frame, Southeastern struck for a pair of runs on a two-run homerun to left field to make it a 3-2 game.
- A half inning later, SAU extended their lead back to three, 5-2, with a two-run frame in the top of the fifth. In that inning, Hall led off with a double down the left field line and Rucker followed with a walk. Both Hall and Rucker advanced 90-feet in the next at-bat as Richardson lined out to the shortstop, who tried to double-off Rucker at first, but the throw was errant. A walk to Cory Gallegos loaded the bases and then Hall scored on a wild pitch. Fontenot was intentionally walked and a batter later, Rucker came home on a wild pitch as well.
- A scoreless sixth on both sides gave way to the seventh where the Muleriders added two more runs of insurance to bring the game to its final of 7-2. In that inning, Cortland McPherson collected a RBI single to right field and Josey Langston added a RBI on a sacrifice bunt.
ON THE MOUND – Game 1
- Dalton Algiene got the start and eventually earned the win after pitching 8.0 innings and allowing just two runs. Algiene would register nine strikeouts to match a single-game high he set in his first start of the season against Oklahoma Christian.
- Matt Williams pitched the ninth inning and worked out of a bases loaded jam by inducing a 1-2-3 double play to end the game
AT THE PLATE – Game 1
- Blake Hall paced the team with a 3-for-4 performance and scored a pair of runs.
- James Trevanion had a pair of hits, going 2-for-5
- Three of SAU's eight team hits went for extra bases – Doubles by Hall and Trevanion; Homerun by Fontenot
PITCHING DECISIONS – Game 2
W –
Kenneth Tabor (2-0)
L – Hayden Grimes (0-3)
S - NONE
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the second game, both teams tallied a run in the first inning with SAU's coming on a RBI single by Gallegos, but a three-spot in the top of the second, gave SAU a 4-1 lead. In that second inning, Hall singled home a run and Fontenot chased home a pair with a single to right-centerfield.
- A two-run third inning by the Savage Storm made it a one-run game, but the Muleriders struck for three runs again in the top of the fifth to take a 7-3 lead. In that fifth, Rucker belted a two-run homerun the other way to right-centerfield and Fontenot collected his third RBI of the game with a single to right field.
- In the sixth, SAU added a run of insurance on a sacrifice fly by Michael Page, scoring Nathan Subber, who came on to pinch-run earlier in the inning.
- The Savage Storm tried to put together a rally in the sixth, but SAU starter Kenneth Tabor minimized damage in the inning and limited Southeastern to a single run after it was runners on second and third with no outs.
- In the seventh, SAU turned to the bullpen and Makenzy Larsen recorded the final three outs, working around a one-out single by striking out the final two men he faced.
ON THE MOUND – Game 2
- Kenneth Tabor got the start and worked 6.0 innings. In his outing, Tabor scattered six hits and struck out a season-high 10 batters.
- Makenzy Larsen pitched the final inning and registered a pair of strikeouts in the scoreless performance. Larsen has now appeared in four games and has six strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched.
AT THE PLATE – Game 2
UP NEXT
The Muleriders will now prepare for a mid-week game on the road at former conference-rival Delta State on Wednesday evening. First-pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. On the weekend, the Muleriders will finally open up at home as they host East Central for a three-game GAC series.
