MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The high offensive output by #25 Southern Arkansas from Saturday's opener (10 runs on 12 hits) carried over into Sunday's doubleheader with Harding as the Muleriders combined for 23 runs on 22 hits to sweep the day and claim the Great American Conference series from Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field. SAU won game two 13-7 and took the series with a 10-6 win in the finale. Southern Arkansas recorded 13 extra base hits and drew 15 walks in 16 innings of play on Sunday.
In the opener, sophomore
Jacob Womack (W, 4-0) made his fifth start of the season and went seven innings with ten hits, two walks and five runs surrendered. He fanned six to run his season total to 38 strikeouts and stranded five including the bases loaded in the third.
The Bisons opened scoring in the top of the first inning with a two-out RBI single, but a second run was cut down at the plate as a
Tucker Burton (9) to
Kobe Morris (5) to
Brett McGee (2) sequence kept the early deficit at just a single run. Southern Arkansas responded in the next half inning as McGee singled in a pair of runs to give SAU a 2-1 lead.
The Muleriders pushed across two more runs in the second with an RBI-groundout from Morris and a sacrifice fly by junior
Jacob Martinez and added its fifth and sixth runs of the afternoon in the third frame as senior
Mason Peterson recorded an RBI single, while senior
Zach Muldoon raced home on a wild pitch.
Leading 6-1 through three innings, Harding managed to only get as close as three runs of the Mulerider lead with a two-run fifth inning, but SAU pushed across three runs in the sixth and produced a four-run eighth inning to even the series.
A double by Martinez and singles from McGee and Muldoon all plated runs in the sixth, while a triple from the bat of Peterson in the eighth plated a pair and highlighted the frame which provided more than enough cushion for sophomore reliever
Maddux Solomon who worked the eighth and ninth innings. Solomon pitched around four hits and two runs with two strikeouts in his eighth appearance of the season.
In the finale, Southern Arkansas forcefully cut down what would have been Harding's second run of the game on a 7-5-2, Martinez to Morris to Muldoon who sealed the relay with the tag to end top of the second inning. In the bottom half, SAU found the scoreboard to tie the game as Orr tripled off the wall in left centerfield to score Peterson from first.
A four-run third inning by the Muleriders opened up the series finale as Martinez and Muldoon both belted two-run home runs to stake SAU starter
Remy Bilodeau (W, 3-0) to a 5-1 lead. The lead increased to 6-1 after Morris doubled home Baker in the fourth inning, but the Bisons threatened in the fifth inning as Bilodeau fanned Harding's Luke Van Dover browsing to strand runners at second and third after HU cut the deficit to a one-run game at 6-5.
A frame later, sophomore
Ty Manning launched a solo shot off the left field signage giving SAU a 7-5.
Harding added an unearned run in the sixth, but the Muleriders struck for three runs in the bottom half as McGee singled in Morris and Muldoon doubled home a pair as Southern Arkansas combined for 33 runs in the series.
Baker, Martinez, McGee, Muldoon, Orr and Peterson all had three hits. The Muleriders drew 11 of their 15 walks on the day in the opener. Martinez, McGee and Muldoon cemented a combined dozen RBI with each player recording four.
Bilodeau went six innings allowing ten hits and just three earned runs with one strikeout; the aforementioned fanning of Van Dover to end the Harding fifth with two on in a one-run game. Sophomore
Parker Abrego tossed the final inning as he faced four and struck out two.
Southern Arkansas remains at home next weekend with a critical late season series awaiting the Muleriders as Oklahoma Baptist comes to Magnolia for a three-game set with league-leading implications on the line. First pitch in Friday's GAC opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. Live coverage links are available at
www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
