Searcy, Ark. – The SAU Softball opened their conference schedule emphatically, winning three games today against Harding and ending the opening weekend on top of the conference standings.

The Muleriders won game two of the series this morning by a score of 6-4 in eight innings, with the Bisons tying the game in the bottom of the sixth. The Muleriders pushed across two runs in the top of the eighth innings courtesy of an Elisa Favela double and a Ryah Kaniho single.

Sydney Wader completed her game from yesterday, picking up the win, throwing eight innings, allowing four runs (three earned) and seven hits while striking out seven.

In game two today, the Muleriders pulled out a 3-2 win in eight innings. The Muleriders got on the board first with a two-out rally in the fourth innings as Favela singled in a run followed by Laina Suesue scoring on the next batter via an error by the second baseman.

The Bisons pulled a run back in the sixth and seventh inning to tie the game before Savannah Martinez singled home Suesue to score the go-ahead run.

Victoria Taylor picked up a no-decision, pitching five scoreless innings, only allowing two hits and striking out eight batters. Her strikeout of Madison Leggett in the fifth inning saw the junior pitcher record her 498^th career strikeout and move into first place all-time on the school's strikeout leaderboard, passing Krystal Poulin's 497 strikeouts set from 2002-2004.

Favela picked up the win in this game, throwing three innings and only allowing one run and striking out two. The Hawaiian utility player now has two wins on the season in as many appearances.

The Muleriders won game three 3-2 off the back of a pair of long balls. Chelsea Fagan hit her league-leading eighth home run of the season in the top of the first, scoring Sarah Evans in the process, who reached on a double to left field.

The Bisons scored a run in the bottom of the inning, and the score remained 2-1 until the fifth inning, when Faith Otts hit a solo home run, her fourth of the season, to give the Muleriders a two-run advantage. The Bisons responded with a solo home run of their own in the bottom of the inning, and the score remained 3-2 in favor of the Muleriders.

Wader threw a complete game to close out the series, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out seven as she improves to 6-1 overall on the season.

The Muleriders now stand at 13-3 overall on the season and 4-0 in conference play. They play their home opener this weekend in a four-game series against Northwestern Oklahoma State.