MAGNOLIA, Ark – Great American Conference play has opened up among the league as of Friday night and in Magnolia, Southern Arkansas and East Central played game one of the home/conference opener at Dawson Field. The 21^st ranked Muleriders in their league opener secured game one against the Tigers by a final score of 3-0.
 
The Muleriders managed to shutout the East Central Tigers for the ninth occasion since joining the Great American Conference to give Southern Arkansas a 1-0 record in the league and an overall record of 10-4. With the win against ECU, SAU has now won their 17^th straight against the Tigers and are in search for win number 18 and 19 after tomorrow's doubleheader starting at noon.
 
Sydney Ward pitched her third complete game in 2024 and her second shutout of the campaign after having pitched her second double-digit strikeout outing of 2024. The senior out of Paris, Arkansas walked just three batters of the total out of the 27 batters faced. Ward gave up just three hits against the Tigers in her third year as a Mulerider.
 
Ward was assisted by team members such as Jenna Huey and Haley Nillen with each Mulerider putting out ten batters. Kamryn Moctezuma assisted in the matter as she recorded four assists on the evening to Huey at first-base.
 
Southern Arkansas had seven hits with just 23 at-bats as the Muleriders were warming up the bats as they felt out East Central pitcher Taylor Spence throughout the night. SAU's three runs all came separate in the bottom of the second, third, and fifth all by different batters and runners.
 
Score number one came with two outs in the second after Huey popped up to right center and Cassidy Lear lined out to center. Junior Bella Angelo then walked up to the plate and then walked to first following a long drawn out battle against Spence as she worked her way to a full count and eventually received the walk following ball four. With Angelo on first, Mackensie Baldwin steps into the box for her first start this season, in which she sent the ball into right field for her second two-bagger of her career and her first of the campaign. Baldwin's double rounded Angelo to third where Coach Jason Anderson sent the Arizona native home for the games first score.
 
The second run of the night came by Gracie King's bat with two outs once more and a runner (Nillen) on first following a walk. On a wild pitch, Nillen was allowed to advance to second and then was followed up by a single from King to right field to bat in Nillen for the Muleriders second run.
 
The final score of the evening came by the hands of Moctezuma and the feet of Ariana Rolle. The native of Marion, Iowa (Rolle) began the post-dance fifth with a double of her own down the left field line. Regan Dillon then came up for her third and final at-bat and singled up the middle to advance Rolle to third where Anderson made an excellent choice to hold the runner on the bag before she would have been thrown out at home. Moctezuma then came to bat and sent her second sacrificial fly ball into left center field and hit it just far enough for Rolle to outrun the throw to home and score the final run of the night.
 
Southern Arkansas begins the doubleheader to decide the series against East Central tomorrow at noon at Dawson Field at the Margaret Downing Softball Complex. For more information, check out www.MuleriderAthetics.com