ALVA, Okla. – #27 Southern Arkansas and Northwestern Oklahoma State closed out the regular season with a bang as the GAC foes combined for 37 runs on 45 hits in the series finale which saw the Rangers edge the Muleriders behind a five-run eighth inning on Saturday afternoon from Glass Family Field at Myers Stadium. In 25 innings, a collective 72 runs crossed home on 96 hits which included 28 home runs and 19 additional extra base hits. Highlighting Saturday's offensive output for SAU, which saw all nine players in the starting lineup record a hit, seven of the nine score a run and six of the nine register an RBI, was senior Austin Baker who finished a single shy of the cycle after a 5-for-6 performance that resulted in two doubles, a triple and two home runs with five runs scored and six RBI.
 
Southern Arkansas (27-13, 23-10 GAC) claims a share of the GAC Regular Season Title; the program's first since 2017 and fifth overall. The Muleriders will carry the No. 2 seed into the GAC Tournament and will play host to No. 7 seed Henderson State (23-17, 18-15 GAC) in the opening round on Friday, May 14 at 6 p.m. from Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field. It will be the sixth meeting of the season between the two teams with the Muleriders having won three of the previous matchups.
 
As much offense that was on display in Friday's doubleheader, it didn't hold a candle to the production from both sides on Saturday as Northwestern Oklahoma led 7-6 through two innings of play. Sophomore Brett McGee blasted his 12^th home run of the season in the top of the first; a three-run shot that opened scoring. Two Ranger home runs in the bottom frame answered the Muleriders early efforts, but in the second, Southern Arkansas took a brief 6-4 lead on a two-run shot from Baker.
 
A three-run homer from the Ranger's Daschal Johnson gave NWOSU the aforementioned 7-6 lead which would grow to 11-6 through three and stand at 11-7 after four innings of play as Baker again left the yard with a solo shot in the visiting half of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, the Muleriders rallied as a four-run frame spotlighted by a solo home run from senior Zach Muldoon, a two-run double off the hot bat of Baker, and an RBI single by senior Kobe Morris tied the game at 11.
 
Two Ranger home runs and an RBI double later in the home half of the fifth pushed the host back out front at 14-11 through five. Senior Mason Peterson plated a run in the sixth and a three-run dinger down the left field line off the swing of sophomore Riley Orr sent the Muleriders out front 15-14.
 
Southern Arkansas cushioned its lead in the eighth as Baker tripled home Peterson and then scored on a wild pitch making it 17-14 SAU. NWOSU responded in a big way with a sac fly RBI to pull within two runs of the lead, moments before using a solo homerun, a double, a two-run blast and a second solo homerun to build what would be its final lead of the game. Burton homered to lead off the ninth inning, but the Muleriders were unable to push the tying run across.  
 
Five arms threw for SAU during the finale with sophomore Remy Bilodeau (2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 SO, 3 BB) receiving the start. Freshman Kade Garmany and sophomores Parker Abrego and Maddux Solomon worked the middle innings for Southern Arkansas, while freshman Santos Sosa tossed the final inning. Solomon used a 6-4-3 GDP in the sixth and a two-out play on a fielder's choice in the seventh to hold the Rangers to two of their three scoreless innings on the day with Abrego working a scoreless fourth for SAU.
 
Baker's 15 total bases on Saturday sets a new single game program record topping the previous best mark of 14 set by Patrick Johnson in the Gulf South Conference Tournament against Valdosta State on May 7, 2010. His effort is part of a larger team effort that saw the Muleriders break a 19-year old program record for total bases with 49 on Saturday; topping the April 7, 2002 record of 47 against Ouachita.
 
Baker's five hits tie the single game program record and are the most in a game for a Mulerider since he recorded five against Ouachita on April 10, 2019. SAU's 24 hits tie the single-game best set on April 10, 2009 at Christian Brothers.
 
McGee collected three hits as did Muldoon, Peterson and Orr. Peterson and Orr followed Baker with three runs scored, while Baker's five runs scored were one shy of tying the program record. McGee and Orr each delivered three RBI.
 
Live coverage links of the Muleriders' first round matchup with the Reddies will be made available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.