MAGNOLIA, Ark. - Junior right-hander Jeremy Adorno struck out 14 and his battery mate Grant Roosma homered from both sides of the plate in a six-RBI effort as #8/8 Southern Arkansas combined for nine runs over the second and third innings to dispatch Southern Nazarene 11-1 in seven innings on Sunday night in the Great American Conference action from inside Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field. 

The Muleriders (17-6, 11-2 GAC) saw their ace arm cross over ten strikeouts in a game for the 12th time in his SAU career and for the first time this season. Adorno won for the third time in 2024 as he scattered four hits and a hit-by-pitch in his 12th complete game effort in a Mulerider jersey. Adorno sat down the side via punch out in the first, sixth and seventh innings to help run his season K total to 53. 

In terms of career program rankings, it was a historic night for the Kissimmee, Florida native who's second strikeout of the evening made him just the second Mulerider arm to reach 300 strikeouts in a career. He now sits a dozen punchouts back of overtaking Hayden Simpson's 323. Adorno became just the sixth pitcher to reach 26 career wins in a Mulerider uniform and is just the sixth to toss over 260.0 innings for SAU.

Roosma homered from the right side of the plate in the second inning as his blast emptied the bases loaded and gave the Muleriders a 5-1 advantage in the second inning. Those four runs were tacked onto an RBI single off the bat of Will Richardson in the home half of the first inning. 

Southern Arkansas was not finished in the next inning as they nearly hit for the team cycle in that third trip to the plate. Trace Shoup homered, Mikey McGinnis tripled in a run and Roosma exited the yard via the left side to plate a pair and push the host out front 9-1. A triple by Richardson pushed across SAU's tenth run and set the stage for the final tally needed to reach the run-rule which came in the fifth. Brandon Nicoll doubled into right centerfield and McGinnis scored for the fourth time as the Muleriders provided Adorno with more than enough run support. 

Of SAU's ten hits, seven went for extra bases. Doubles by Nicoll and Carter Claerhout, triples from McGinnis and Richardson and two homers by Roosma and a solo shot from Shoup aided the Muleriders in scoring ten or more runs for the 11th time this season. 

The squads resume the series on Monday and will decide a winner with a doubleheader scheduled for high noon. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.