HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - For five innings the bats were quiet, but in the home half of the sixth No. 2 Southern Arkansas came alive with five runs on four hits to take a 5-4 lead in the Saturday afternoon season opener against Northwest Missouri from the Dugan Invitational. The Muleriders (1-0) then relied on its bullpen to hold off the Bearcats to improve to 1-0 on the young season.
 
A one-out single by sophomore Brandon Nicoll in the top of the first inning was the lone tally for the Muleriders in the hit column and a walk to the Canadian in the fourth made up the only two baserunners for SAU until that profitable sixth inning.
 
NWMSU used a leadoff home run in the second inning, a bases loaded walk in the third and a one-out, two-run double in the sixth to build a four-run lead that would not last.
 
Senior Riley Orr singled through the left side to start the bottom half and following a pitching change, junior Chris Sutton was hit-by-pitch to push Orr to second. The table was completely set in the next at bat as senior Brett McGee was plunked to load the bases.
 
Enter Nicoll. The team leader in hits a season ago delivered a huge one through the left side to plate Orr and Sutton and cut the deficit in half and prompt the Bearcats' second pitching change of the frame. A fly out pushed McGee to third and with two outs, senior Will Richardson placed a double down the left field line to score McGee and Nicoll and knot the contest at four.
 
The go-ahead run was quickly plated in the following at bat as Chris Lyles singled into right field to chase home Richardson from second base and put SAU up 5-4.
 
The advantage would hold for the Muleriders as junior Santos Sosa worked a nearly flawless seventh and eighth innings after entering in the sixth inning in relief of starter Jeremy Adorno who was tagged with a no decision in his 18th start as a Mulerider. Adorno went 5.0 innings allowing four hits and two runs with four strikeouts.
 
Sosa fanned two in a 1-2-3 pre-stretch seventh and added three more punch outs in the eighth as he pitched around a one-out double that took third on a wild pitch.
 
Junior Isaiah Haynes (S, 1) took over in the ninth and tossed around a two-out HBP to strike out the tying run as the Muleriders won for the fourth time on opening day under head coach Justin Pettigrew.
 
Nicoll went 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored. Orr collected two hits and Richardson added two RBI.
 
The Muleriders return to action on Sunday for a 4 p.m. first-pitch with NR/(RV) Northeastern State (1-1). SAU and NSU meet at the Dugan Invitational for the second straight season as the Sunday afternoon affair pits two teams that earned NCAA Tournament berths a year ago. Live stats for the contest are available: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=440124.