SHAWNEE, Okla. – The No. 35-ranked Muleriders split the doubleheader with No. 24 Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee, Oklahoma on Friday evening after taking game one over the Bison, 5-2, and then dropping the pitcher's dual in the second game, 1-0, that saw both team's starting pitcher combine for 22-total strikeouts in the seven innings of action.
HOW IT HAPPENED- GAME ONE:
- In the top of the first inning, Southern Arkansas scratched the first run after a called balk on the Bison starting pitcher that plated Austin Baker, who led off the inning with a single to center field and would subsequently make his way around the base paths on a batted ball by Jake Tisevich, followed by a stolen third base, before scoring on the aforementioned balk that made it 1-0, SAU.
- The Bison knotted the game in the bottom of that frame with a lead-off homerun before SAU quickly reclaimed the lead in the next inning on a solo blast that flew off the bat of Zach Muldoon as he stroked the first pitch he saw to record his first career homerun at SAU and pull the Muleriders ahead by one, 2-1.
- Another Mulerider, Riley Orr, tallied his first collegiate-career homerun in the fifth inning as he sent a 3-1 delivery over the outfield wall to extend SAU's lead to 3-1.
- In the bottom of the seventh, the Bison cut their deficit down to one, 3-2, after they loaded the bases and eventually plated just one of those runners on a ball put in play in the infield.
- The Muleriders added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning to pull away from the Bison after Sam Mrstik sent a two-out 0-0 delivery over the outfield wall that pushed SAU to its eventual 5-2 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED- GAME TWO:
- A combined nine strikeouts between both teams in the first two innings of action quickly confirmed a pitchers dual as SAU's starting battery Hunter Vasquez registered five strikeouts before the Bison changed the game with just one swing in the bottom of the second inning to take the lead over SAU, 1-0.
- The Mulerider offense struggled to find its momentum in the contest as the Bison's starting pitcher Zach Fowler dealt 10-total strikeouts through seven complete innings pitched to shutout the Mulerider offense and surrender just three hits.
- Despite the lone run given up early in the contest, Hunter Vasquez was equally impressive on the mound for SAU as the senior combined for a career-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings pitched, and allowed just three hits and a walk, to keep the Bison offense off-balance and hold them to their one run in the 1-0 final decision.