HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Early offense backed a critical six-inning start by junior
Parker Abrego and #11/14 and top seed Southern Arkansas dispatched (8) Arkansas Tech for the second time in three days with a 9-4 win in the Great American Conference Tournament semifinals on Monday afternoon from Majestic Park's Babe Ruth Field. The victory sends the Muleriders to the league's tournament title game for the sixth time overall and first since 2018.
The Muleriders (40-11) will take on the winner of Monday night's All-Arkadelphia affair between (2) Henderson State and (5) Ouachita. First pitch in Tuesday's title game is set for 12:30 p.m. and live coverage links are available at
www.MuleriderAthletics.com. The victory is the 40
th for SAU this season and it marks the 18
th time in program history that the club has reached the win threshold in a single season and it is the first 40-win campaign since the 2018 season.
Southern Arkansas, which broke the program's single season home run record in its tournament opener, saw the season's 88
th blast leave the park in the home half of the first as freshman
Jakob Machuca's bat was responsible for the three-run shot out to right centerfield, on the second pitch of the at bat, that staked Abrego to an early advantage. The team's 89
th round tripper of the season left the yard moments later as senior
Tucker Burton hammered the first pitch he saw to give SAU a 4-0 lead after one inning of play.
The aggressiveness at the plate would continue in the second as
Riley Orr doubled in junior
Conner Allen on the first pitch of his at-bat and one out and a base on balls later freshman
Brandon Nicoll need just one pitch to single home Orr as the Muleriders led 6-0 through two frames.
Arkansas Tech responded in the third inning with three runs off of Abrego. Three consecutive hits, including a two-run double, started the frame and served as the only run-scoring success that the Wonder Boys would have against Abrego, who pitched three more innings allowing three walks and just one base hit.
While Abrego (3-0) settled in, the Muleriders took back single runs in the fourth and sixth innings as junior
Brett McGee banged Mulerider home run No. 90 on a full count pitch to right field, while Orr, who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI in addition to a handful of impressive defensive plays, scored on a wild pitch in the sixth inning.
ATU would manage just a single run and a single hit in the final three innings of play. Sophomore
Jonny Vesevick tossed the seventh and sophomore
Chance Bolter worked the eighth and ninth innings allowing just one hit as he faced one over the minimum.
The Muleriders recorded 14 hits with five for extra bases and five players recording at least two. Orr's three highlighted the effort. Eight of the nine players in the order scored and Machuca led five RBI-producing players with three.
