GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Senior right-handed pitcher Dalton Algiene went six complete innings and struck out a career-high nine batters en route to picking up his first win of the season as the Southern Arkansas baseball team also improved to 3-0 on the year with a 6-0 shutout over Oklahoma Christian on Saturday night at the Air Hogs DII Classic in Grand Prairie.
 
RECORDS
Oklahoma Christian Eagles (1-2)
Southern Arkansas Muleriders (3-0)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Algiene's first pitch of the game resulted in a routine groundout to Jacob Richardson at third base, but not long after that, Algiene was needing to work out of a bases loaded jam after a pair of hit-by-pitches and an infield single filled the bases with Eagles. Algiene was able to get out of that tight spot with pitcher's best friend, a 6-4-3 groundball double to end the inning.
• In the bottom of the first, the Mulerider offense pushed across three runs on three hits. The first of those runs came on a RBI single through the left side off the bat of Cory Gallegos. Cortland McPherson then followed with a RBI single to right field. David LaFleur's sacrifice fly in the next at-bat plated the third run.
• Spotted a three-run lead, Algiene came out and retired the first two batters of the second inning, but Oklahoma Christian still managed to load the bases, this time with two outs. As he did in the first, Algiene got a ground ball hit to the slick fielding Michael Page, who made the throw over to first for the final out.
• Both teams went three-up and three-down in the third and Algiene registered his first two strikeouts in that frame.
• In the fourth, Algiene struck out the first batter, but fell into more trouble as Oklahoma Christian loaded the bases with one out. This time, the battery of Algiene of Gallegos escaped the jam as Algiene struck out Oklahoma Christian's Jared Price and then Gallegos threw behind the runner at third base and gunned him down to end the inning.
• After escaping another jam, the Muleriders' offense picked up Algiene with another run to make it 5-0, SAU. That run was scored by David LaFleur on a groundout by Josey Langston.
• Algiene pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth and stranded two more Eagles in his sixth and final inning, registering all of the outs on strikeouts to end with nine.
• In the bottom of the inning, Page made it 6-0, SAU as he crushed a no-doubt homerun to left field.
• Makenzy Larsen then came on in relief in the seventh and worked the next two innings without surrendering a hit.
• In the top of the ninth, redshirt freshman and Magnolia native Zac Harrington made his way to the mound for his collegiate debut.
• With his dad, Jeff Harrington on the call, Zac retired the first two batters of the inning. On each of the outs, Harrington received stellar defensive efforts from Langston at second and LaFleur in left field. The Eagles then began to put together a two-out rally, but Harrington extinguished the threat and preserved the combined shutout as he got a groundout to third base for the final out.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Cory Gallegos and Cortland McPherson each went 2-for-4 in the game to help pace the Muleriders offense. Gallegos notched a pair of RBIs and now has a team-leading five on the young season.
• Dalton Algiene's nine strikeouts were a single-game high in his career as a Mulerider with his previous best being five strikeouts. That effort came in his first start of the season last year against Washburn.

 
UP NEXT
The Muleriders will now prepare for a showdown with No.6-ranked Lubbock Christian to close out the 2017 Air Hogs DII Classic. Both SAU and Lubbock Christian are 3-0 at the classic. First-pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.