MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Senior outfielder Trevor Rucker blasted three homeruns and drove in seven across both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against Harding University as the No. 4-ranked Southern Arkansas baseball team powered past the Bisons by scores of 12-9 and 9-7 to earn the sweep.
 
TEAM RECORDS
Harding Bisons (16-23, 11-15 GAC)
#4 Southern Arkansas Muleriders (31-7, 24-2 GAC)
 
PITCHING DECISIONS – Game 1
W – Pake Montgomery (2-1)
L – Mason Faulkner (2-4)
S – Makenzy Larsen (6)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game 1

• The Muleriders grabbed an early one-run lead on a RBI single up the middle by Mark Fontenot scoring Blake Hall in the bottom of the first.
• The Bisons responded in a big way as they struck for seven runs on six hits in the top of the second inning. The big blow that inning was a grand slam off the bat of leadoff hitter Ben Brauss.
• SAU got two of those runs back in the bottom of the second thanks to a sacrifice fly by Hall and a RBI double by Trevor Rucker. Harding struck for two more, however in the top of the third and reclaimed a six-run lead, this time at 9-3.
• After not scoring in the third, the Muleriders scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a two-run game, 9-7. The first run that inning scored on a Hall single to left centerfield and the big blow was a bases-clearing double off the bat of Jacob Richardson.
• In the sixth, SAU chipped off another run as Rucker hammered a solo homerun out to left-centerfield, making it 9-8 Harding.
• An inning later, the Muleriders put together another four-run inning as they flipped the score and grabbed a 12-9 lead, which became the eventual final score.
• In that seventh inning, SAU got RBI doubles from Jake Tisevich, Michael Page, and Hall. Tisevich and Page's doubles plated one run while Hall's scored a pair.

 
ON THE MOUND – Game 1

• Connor Well started the game, but was chased from the start in the third inning
• Pake Montgomery came on in relief and settled things down over the next 5.2 innings as he kept the Bisons off the scoreboard. Montgomery, who went on to earn his second win of the year scattered four hits walked two and struck out two
• SAU closer Makenzy Larsen pitched the ninth and put the finishing touches on his sixth save of the season

 
AT THE PLATE – Game 1

• The Muleriders hammered out 15 hits and out-scored the Bisons 9-0 over the game's final six innings as SAU overcame deficits of 7-1 in the second and 9-3 in the third.
• Seven batters in the lineup had a hit and five had multiple hits.
• Blake Hall, Jacob Richardson and Michael Page all had three hits to pace the team.
• Hall, Richardson and Trevor Rucker all had multiple RBIs in the game with Hall driving in four, Richardson three and Rucker a pair
• Of the 15 hits in the game, eight went for extra bases as the Muleriders hit seven doubles and one homerun. The seven doubles in the game were one off the single game record in the Great American Conference.

   
PITCHING DECISIONS – Game 2
W – Dalton Algiene (10-1)
L – Reed Roberts (1-6)
S – Jacob Stroder (2)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game 2

• Game two started off with a bang as Trevor Rucker crushed a two-run homer out to left-centerfield in the bottom of the first. James Trevanion later singled that inning as SAU took a 3-0 lead after one inning of play.
• In the second, Rucker connected for his second two-run homerun of the game, and third overall homer on the day as he left the yard to left-centerfield once more. Mark Fontenot later scored on a wild pitch that inning to give the Muleriders now led 6-0.
• An inning later, the Muleriders scored three runs for the third-consecutive inning to surge ahead 9-0. In that frame, Hall tripled home a pair and Rucker hit a sacrifice fly to chase home Hall.
• The Bisons then began to chip away at the sizable deficit with two runs in the fourth and a run in the fifth.
• Now trailing 9-3 in the scheduled seven-inning game, Harding put together a threatening rally in the top of the seventh, scoring three times and having the bases loaded with the potential go-ahead run at the plate for the final two outs of the inning.
• The Muleriders were able to quell that threat as Jacob Stroder induced a harmless pop out to second base and stuck out Luke VanDover looking on a full-count offering to end the game.

 
ON THE MOUND – Game 2

• Dalton Algiene improved to 10-1 on the year as he pitched 5.0 innings in game two. In his start, Algiene scattered five hits, allowed three runs (two earned), walked three and struck out eight.
• Algiene has now struck out eight or more batters in six of his 10 starts
• The Muleriders used three relievers after Algiene's afternoon was through and Eric Schildt pitched a scoreless sixth inning and struck out two.
• Jordan Reynolds started the top of the seventh, but four-straight singles prompted a move to Jacob Stroder
• Stroder came on and got the final three outs as he closed the door on his second save of the season

 
AT THE PLATE – Game 2

• The Mulerider bats remained heated up from the opening game as they racked up 12 hits in game two.
• Of those hits, five went for extra bases, and in the bottom of the second, the Muleriders got three of those extra-base hits as they hit for the cycle as a team. Michael Page led off with a double, Trevor Rucker homered a batter later and Mark Fontenot followed that up with a triple. Jacob Richardson then singled to complete the team cycle.
• The hits were spread out rather evenly among the lineup as all nine starters had at least one hit. Blake Hall, Trevor Rucker and Mark Fontenot all had two hits and also scored twice as well.
• Rucker drove in five in the game as he had a pair of two-run homerun and a sacrifice fly.

 
ON DECK
The Muleriders and Bisons will conclude their three-game series with a single game on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.