ALVA, Okla. – The No. 16-ranked Southern Arkansas baseball team completed a series sweep over Northwestern Oklahoma as the Muleriders took both ends of the doubleheader played on Saturday afternoon at Myers Stadium. SAU claimed the opener by a score of 7-4 and then secured the second game, 4-1.
TEAM RECORDS
#16 Southern Arkansas Muleriders (23-5, 17-1 GAC)
Northwestern Oklahoma Rangers (8-22, 3-15 GAC)
PITCHING DECISIONS – Game 1
W –
Dalton Algiene (7-1)
L – Bryce Tomlin (2-4)
S –
Pake Montgomery (1)
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game 1
- The Muleriders jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a RBI double by Trevor Rucker. NWOSU got that run back and tied the game in the bottom of the third on a groundout.
- In the fourth, SAU surged back on top thanks to a two-run home run to left field off the bat of Cortland McPherson. A two-run bottom half by the Rangers however knotted the score once more, this time at three-all.
- A clutch two-out single by Josey Langston in the top of the sixth broke that tie score as the Muleriders plated three runs on the hit. Two of those runs were driven in by Langston with the third run scoring on the benefit of a Ranger error.
- The Rangers then stranded a pair of runners in the bottom of the inning and found themselves down by four runs as Jacob Richardson singled home Nathan Stubber to make is 7-3, SAU.
- A sacrifice fly in the bottom half by the Rangers got that run back, but the Mulerider bullpen locked down the remainder of the game, preserving the 7-4 win.
ON THE MOUND – Game 1
- Dalton Algiene picked up his seventh win of the season after working 7.0 innings against the Rangers. In the start, Algiene allowed nine hits and four earned runs, but struck out six.
- Junior left-hander Pake Montgomery came on in relief of Algiene to start the eighth inning and Montgomery recorded the final six outs to earn his first save as a Mulerider.
- In picking up the save, Montgomery did not allow a run, scattered two hits and struck out three
AT THE PLATE – Game 1
- In the opener, the Muleriders were out-hit by the Rangers (11-9), but SAU was far more efficient in their hits leading to runs as the Rangers stranded 10 base runners.
- The Mulerider hits were spread out fairly even among the lineup with seven of nine starters recording a hit. Additionally, Trevor Rucker was the only Mulerider with multiple hits in that game as he was 3-for-4 with a RBI.
PITCHING DECISIONS – Game 2
W –
Kenneth Tabor (5-1)
L – Matt Bickford (0-3)
S –
Makenzy Larsen (3)
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game 2
- The Muleriders and Rangers traded runs in the first inning with SAU's tally coming on a double to left field off the bat of Jacob Richardson and NWOSU's run on a single to left field.
- Neither team scored in the second or third innings of the scheduled seven-inning contest, but in the fourth, SAU took a 4-1 lead on the strength of a two-out, three-run home run to left field off the bat of Blake Hall.
- Hall's home run provided the game's final runs as the Muleriders went on to win the second game, 4-1.
ON THE MOUND – Game 2
- Kenneth Tabor got the start in game two and nearly went the distance as he went 6.1 official innings.
- In his outing, Tabor dispersed four hits, allowed one earned run and struck out five en route to securing his fifth win of the season.
- Makenzy Larsen recorded the final two outs of the game and nailed down his third save of the season. Both of Larsen's outs were induced groundouts.
AT THE PLATE – Game 2
- SAU totaled seven hits in game two and Blake Hall and Trevor Rucker accounted for four of those as the top-two hitters in the order each had two hits.
- One of Rucker's hits went for a double while Hall's most significant knock was the three-run home run in the fourth that proved to be the difference in the game.
ON DECK
The Muleriders return home for a mid-week game against former conference rival Delta State on Tuesday, March 28. First-pitch is schedule for 5 p.m. inside Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field
