MAGNOLIA, Ark. – (RV) Southern Arkansas took advantage of beautiful weather on Saturday afternoon from Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field as the Muleriders improved to 7-0 on the season with a pair of wins over Missouri Western. SAU topped the Griffons 1-0 in the opener behind another dominant outing from senior transfer right-hander Zach Smith, before claiming the series with a 7-2 victory in the seven-inning game. The unbeaten start to the season is the program's best since the 1986 campaign which saw that year's squad win their first nine games.
 
Smith, a week after making his Mulerider debut, logged another solid performance on the mound as he scattered four hits and three walks over eight innings of work, while striking out seven batters. The Katy, Texas, native worked around a two-out single and walk in the top of the first inning, before shoving perfect frames in the second, third and fourth innings.
 
In the home half of the fourth, the Muleriders managed to scratch their lone run of the contest off of MWSU starter Justin Wood. Junior Jacob Martinez led off the frame with a double to left field and came around to score three batters later as sophomore Brett McGee singled on a line with two outs into center field to give Smith the only run him and senior closer Matt Kortendick would need.
 
After a scoreless fifth, MWSU matched their baserunner total from the first five innings as they loaded the bases with just one out in the top of the sixth inning. However, Smith proved too much for the sixth and seventh hitters in the Griffon lineup as he fanned both swinging to preserve the one-run lead.
 
Missouri Western would put a runner on in the seventh inning and in the eighth it appeared that the Griffons would tie the game at 1. A one-out single by MWSU's Andrew Meier set the table for Missouri Western as Trever Guzzo took over for Meier at first as a pinch runner. With two outs, Brock Wrolstad doubled down the left field line which appeared to be just enough to plate the tying run in Guzzo but an excellent relay from Martinez to shortstop Riley Orr to McGee cut down Guzzo several feet from the plate to end the frame.
 
Kortendick entered in relief of Smith to work the ninth inning and earned his second save in as many chances as he stranded runners at first and second to give the Muleriders a 6-0 start to the season; just the third team in the program's Division II history to go unbeaten in their first six games (1999, 1996).
 
In the series' third game, Southern Arkansas plated seven runs on only five hits. The first two runs came without the benefit of a base knock as the Muleriders got to Griffon starter Roy Robles early. After sophomore starter Parker Abrego worked a quick top half of the first, SAU used three walks, a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly by McGee to plate two first inning runs.
 
A leadoff double from sophomore Ty Manning in the home half of the second inning soon led to the newcomer taking third on a well-executed bunt single by Orr that put runners at the corners. Orr stole second, before senior Austin Baker singled home Manning for the Muleriders' third run of the game.
Two innings later with the Muleriders batting, senior Kobe Morris doubled home a pair as freshman Chris Lyles and Manning scored to make it 5-0 Southern Arkansas. Martinez followed by plating Baker on a sacrifice fly out to centerfield.
 
The Griffons' only two runs to this point in the series came in the next two innings as Zach Hanlan led off the fifth inning with a solo blast, before a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning scored the second run. Abrego tossed his second consecutive complete game to move to 2-0 on the season. He worked around six hits, two walks and two HBP to strikeout six.
 
Morris recorded two of SAU's five hits to go along with two RBI. Manning scored three times and Baker twice. SAU drew seven walks and stole eight bases with Manning swiping three bags in the game three win. The Muleriders are 24-of-25 in stolen bases through seven games this season.
 
The series between the Central Region foes ends on Sunday with a single nine-inning affair scheduled for a noon start. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.