MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Senior Hunter Vasquez picked up his second win of the season behind a powerful performance on the mound as the right-hander struck out a career-high 11 batters on Friday afternoon to give the Muleriders a 13-3 win in eight innings in the series opener with Southern Nazarene, but in game two the Crimson Storm held the Southern Arkansas bats at bay to earn a split with a 3-2 victory in the nightcap inside Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field.
 
The Muleriders (13-6, 8-3 GAC) plated 13 runs on 15 hits in the opener with big run-scoring innings coming in the third and fifth frames. Southern Arkansas saw five players record a multi-hit game in game one led by seniors Jake Tisevich and Jacob Richardson and freshman Riley Orr as the trio each collected three hits.
 
Senior Sam Mrstik and redshirt sophomore Zach Muldoon each recorded a pair of hits. Mrstik delivered with a game-high four RBI, while Orr, Tisevich and Richardson each plated a pair of runs. Senior Mark Fontenot walked three times, while the Muleriders as a team drew nine base-on-balls.
 
Orr singled home the game's first run in the second inning and Mrstik added three more courtesy of his third home run of the season; a powerful blast out to right centerfield in the third inning. Muldoon followed with an RBI single in the third inning as well as the Muleriders built a 5-0 lead to back Vasquez who went 6.0 innings, while allowing just three hits and two runs.
 
Southern Nazarene scratched a run in both the fourth and fifth innings, before Southern Arkansas answered with a five-run showing in the home-half of the fifth to increase their lead to 10-2.
 
The five runs came on three hits, which included an RBI single from Orr and an RBI double by Richardson, while the Muleriders also pushed across runs in the form of a fielder's choice from the bat of Tisevich and a hit-by-pitch from Mrstik. SAU took advantage of two walks and a pair of hit-by-pitch in the inning.
 
SAU plated two more runs in the sixth as Tisevich doubled to score Orr, before sophomore Austin Baker raced home on a wild pitch.
 
Redshirt freshman Hunter Lewis took over for Vasquez in the seventh and after allowing a leadoff home run which extended the game into the eighth inning, Lewis worked around runners at first and second to end the small SNU threat. In the eighth inning, redshirt sophomore Zach Harrington worked around a two-out fielding error to keep the Muleriders in front by nine runs at 12-3.
 
In the home half of the eighth, Richardson made sure the opener would not see the ninth as he hit a mammoth solo shot out to left centerfield to enforce the run-rule and end the game.
 
In game two, the Muleriders managed just two hits off of SNU starter David Gustafson who pitched 5.2 innings and allowed just a single run, while striking out 10. Senior Jacob Stroder scattered eight hits and allowed just one earned run, while fanning eight in the loss. Junior Eric White pitched a perfect seventh inning as he retired the side with three strikeouts.
 
Baker and Richardson accounted for the two hits in the nightcap, while the two runs were plated via a bases loaded walk to senior James Trevanion and a hit-by-pitch by Fontenot.
 
Trailing 3-0 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Muleriders plated single runs in both the sixth and seventh innings and stranded the bases loaded in each of the final two frames as SNU closer Austin Cooper worked through the threats to pick up his fifth save of the season.
 
Southern Arkansas faces a quick turnaround to conclude the series with Southern Nazarene with an 11 a.m. first-pitch from Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. Be sure to visit us on our website and/or social media for any potential start time changes due to weather.