DURANT, Okla. – Senior right hander Zach Smith fired a complete game, scattering six hits and a pair of walks, while fanning seven, and received ample run support as Southern Arkansas claimed a 9-1 Great American Conference series-opening victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State on Friday afternoon from Mike Metheny Field in Durant.
 
Smith faced 35 batters over the course of his complete game effort and allowed just two hits through the game's first six innings of play. He worked a quick first inning, worked around a two-out walk in the second, and escaped a runners-at-the-corners jam in the third as the Savage Storm came away empty through three with Southern Arkansas leading 1-0.
 
Responsible for the game's first run was sophomore Riley Orr who lifted a sacrifice fly into centerfield to plate senior Mason Peterson who scored after leading off the third with a double to left center and moving to third on a wild pitch.
 
With the Muleriders leading, Smith found his groove as he retired the next seven batters he faced before maneuvering around a one-out hit-by-pitch in the sixth with back-to-back strikeouts. While working the fourth through the sixth innings, Smith received more than enough offense from his teammates.
 
Southern Arkansas pushed across a combined five runs in the fifth and sixth innings with the first of those coming on a bunt single from the bat of Orr that again chased Peterson home who led off the visiting half of the fifth inning with a walk.
 
After sophomore Conner Allen walked with the bases loaded to push home the third run of the game in junior Tucker Burton, the Muleriders struck for three runs which all came courtesy of a Savage Storm throwing error on one play with two outs in the sixth. In Austin Baker's at bat with the bases loaded, the senior put a ball in play that resulted in SOSU reliever KC Bryan recording a throwing error to empty the bases, send Baker to third and put the Muleriders up 6-0 through six.
 
Smith continued to deal with Southern Arkansas ahead comfortably. After a one-out hit-by-pitch in the sixth, Smith fanned the next two batters swinging. The biggest SOSU threat happened post stretch as Smith pitched around a leadoff double and an ensuing single that saw a throwing error put runners at second and third. Back-to-back fly outs followed by a walk loaded the bases for the Storm with two outs, before Smith induced a foul out to third to keep Southeastern Oklahoma off the scoreboard.
 
Junior Jacob Martinez joined in on the scoring act in a big way in the eighth as he blasted a three-run home run out to left field to plate senior Kobe Morris and Baker and put SAU up 9-0. It took 8.1 innings, but the Savage Storm finally managed to get to Smith as they chased home a run in the ninth. Smith tossed ten groundball outs with nine fly outs.
 
Morris recorded two of SAU's eight hits on the afternoon and six other players delivered a single hit. Martinez's three RBI led the Muleriders and Orr followed with two.
 
Southern Arkansas and Southeastern Oklahoma decide the series on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.