ALVA, Okla. – Nine home runs with seven coming in Friday's Great American Conference opener, including back-to-back-to-back-to-back jacks by the Muleriders in a seven-run third inning highlighted the offensive output for #27 Southern Arkansas and sophomore Jacob Womack's complete game effort in the seven-inning affair capped the day as SAU took both ends of the doubleheader with Northwestern Oklahoma State from Glass Family Field at Myers Stadium.
 
In the series opener, over half of the game's 23 runs were plated in the third inning as the two teams combined to push across a dozen runs highlighted by Southern Arkansas' seven which came in dramatic fashion. Junior Jacob Martinez collected an RBI single to open scoring and scored in the next at bat as junior Tucker Burton lifted a pitch from NWOSU starter Scott Creedon out to center field to push the Muleriders out front 3-0.
 
Not only was that homer, Burton's tenth of the season, the first of seven (second most in a single game in program history) for Southern Arkansas in game one, but it was the first of four-consecutive homers as sophomores Brett McGee (team-leading 11^th HR) and Ty Manning and senior Zach Muldoon all belted solo shots giving SAU a 6-0 lead. The Muleriders batted around in the third as Baker reached on a fielding error which plated sophomore Riley Orr. The four-straight round trippers were one shy of tying the NCAA Division II record.
 
Despite the early fireworks from the Mulerider hitters, Northwestern Oklahoma responded with five runs in the bottom half of the frame and two more in the fourth inning to tie the game at seven. A three-run double and a two-run home run stressed the production for the Rangers.
 
The Muleriders regained the lead in the fifth in the only way fitting in a contest that featured a combined nine home runs. Manning doubled to set the table for senior Mason Peterson who left the yard out to right field to push SAU back out front 9-7. In the sixth, Martinez got in on the long ball act as he soloed to left centerfield giving the Muleriders a three-run lead at 10-7.
 
Once again the Rangers answered as a two-run home run post stretch cut the Mulerider lead to 10-9 moments before an RBI single evened the opener at 10. However, with two outs in the top of ninth and the game knotted at 10, Orr walked, Baker singled up the middle and Morris stepped to the plate with an opportunity to put SAU back on top.
 
The Canadian delivered as he deposited a full-count pitch out to right field giving SAU a late 13-10 advantage and Mulerider reliever Santos Sosa (W, 5-2), who entered in relief of SAU starter Zach Smith in the seventh, a three-run cushion. That was more than enough for the rookie who worked around just three hits in relief. Smith tossed 6.0 innings, fanned five and walked four.  
 
Northwestern Oklahoma used four pitchers in the first game and the Muleriders recorded 15 hits with nine going for extra bases including the aforementioned seven homers. All nine hitters recorded a base knock and scored a run in the opener with Baker and Burton each collecting three hits and four players scoring two runs. Morris' three RBI led six other players with at least one, while Martinez, Burton and Peterson recorded two.
 
Womack earned his seventh win of the season as he pitched around 11 hits and one walk which resulted in four runs to strike out nine and strand two runners on base in both the sixth and seventh innings of a four-run game after working a clean fourth and fifth innings.
 
Six of SAU's eight runs in game two scored in the first three innings. Morris doubled home Baker in the first, Peterson homered to plate two and Burton walked with the bags full to push across three more runs in the second, and McGee recorded an RBI sacrifice fly in the third as the Muleriders staked their starter to a 5-0 lead.
 
The Rangers used a two-run home run in the second and a solo shot with an RBI single in the third to sandwich a Peterson RBI double and make it 6-4 Southern Arkansas. The Muleriders padded the lead with an RBI triple from Morris in the fifth and Muldoon's second blast of the day; a solo shot in the sixth, to put the finishing touches on an eventful afternoon at the plate for SAU.
 
Muldoon finished a triple shy of the cycle and he added three runs scored and an RBI. Peterson delivered three RBI and Morris added two.
 
The regular season finale is slated for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. A win by Southern Arkansas would give the Muleriders the GAC regular season title outright. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.