SPRINGDALE, Ark. - All-GAC first team starting pitcher Jeremy Adorno (8-3) tossed eight innings of four-hit baseball and struck out four, fellow all-league first team honoree Isaiah Haynes closed the door with his record-tying 13th save of the season and top-seeded #18/12 Southern Arkansas manufactured a three-run third with an insurance blast in the eighth for a 4-2 win over (4) Henderson State on Thursday afternoon at the GAC Tournament Championship from Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.
Adorno worked around a base runner in the first, a two-out double and preceding walk in the second inning to keep the Reddies off the board and used a quick ten-pitch third inning, before the Muleriders provided run support for their ace.
The Muleriders (37-16) backed Adorno's effort in the home half of the third as a one-out double off the bat of Chris Garcia set the stage for a three-run frame. Chris Sutton and Riley Orr were both hit-by-pitch to load the bases and a walk to Brett McGee pushed across the afternoon's first tally. The following at-bat, Brandon Nicoll took a 2-1 pitch through the left side to plate a pair and give SAU a 3-0 advantage through three behind two hits, two hit-by-pitch and a walk.
Henderson State responded in the fourth inning with a pair of two-out runs as singles by Logan Cowart and Luke Farrar pushed across base runners that reached via walks.
That would be all Henderson State would manage against Adorno as the right-hander worked 1-2-3 innings in the fifth, sixth and seventh with a catcher's interference in the eighth, the lone base runner the Reddies manufactured since the two-run fourth.
In the bottom of the eighth, SAU tacked on an insurance run as Conner Allen left the yard out to left field for a solo blast, his tenth of the season, to put the Muleriders up 4-2 heading into the ninth.
The ninth was worked by Haynes and the hard-throwing right-hander worked around two two-out singles to earn his 13th save of the season to match the SAU single season record.
SAU recorded four hits with the three-four-five hitters in the lineup, McGee, Nicoll and Allen, each collecting one and accounting for all four of the RBI.
Southern Arkansas will face the winner of the Ouachita-Oklahoma Baptist matchup at 11 a.m. on Friday. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
