MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Trace Shoup hammered a fourth-inning offering out to left center for a go-ahead three run blast as part of a five-run frame, Southern Arkansas used quality bullpen work and Saturday afternoon's Great American Conference opener against Southeastern Oklahoma went the way of the Muleriders in a 7-6 victory from inside Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field. The win pushes SAU's overall record to 6-2, is the 19
th for the Muleriders in league-opening series under head coach
Justin Pettigrew and is the 118
th victory at home since 2017.
Shoup's blast, his second of the season, highlighted Southern Arkansas' response. The Savage Storm (6-3, 0-1 GAC) struck for three fourth-inning runs against SAU starter
Jeremy Adorno who, with the exception of that profitable frame for the Storm, held SE to just two hits and a single run in his five other innings of work. The homer from the Parkers Chapel native followed a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Mikey McGinnis which brought SAU to a run of tying SE and followed a solo, no-doubt blast from
Brandon Nicoll, his second of the campaign.
SE scratched a single run back in the fifth on a Reid Rice RBI single, but McGinnis raced home on a wild pitch in the sixth to set the lead back at two runs. That same frame,
Carter Claerhout doubled over the right fielder to plate
Chris Sutton and give the bullpen a three-run advantage to pitch with.
Hayden Oglesby worked the seventh and despite a leaping effort at the wall by Shoup with two outs and the bases full, the Savage Storm struck for two runs to pull within 7-6 of the advantage. Oglesby worked around any additional trouble in the pre-stretch seventh and the one-run lead would be more than enough over the final two frames.
Jake Uber worked the eighth striking out the first two batters before an F8 ended SE's trip to the plate.
Isaiah Haynes tossed the ninth and used an F9, KL and an FF3 to earn his first save of the season and send SAU into the win column in its league opener.
Shoup accounted for a fourth of SAU's eight hits as he also registered his team-leading fourth double of the season. Seven different players scored runs, six others recorded hits and the Muleriders managed to exit SE ace Cameron Hauch with two away in the sixth.
The Muleriders and Savage Storm decide the series on Sunday with a doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. start. Live coverage links are available at
www.MuleriderAthletics.com.