ALVA, Okla. – Team 26 opens their series in Northwest Oklahoma as the Muleriders claimed a pair of wins against the Rangers of NWOSU. With the two wins in Alva, Southern Arkansas now advances to 30-14 overall with an 19-10 record in the Great American Conference. The Muleriders remain in the fourth spot in front of Southeastern Oklahoma State (23-23 | 15-12 GAC) and behind Harding (29-13 | 19-8 GAC).
 
Southern Arkansas against the Rangers allowed no runs to the team in Alva as Sydney Ward and Brinson Rogers combined for 27 strikeouts and just five hits.
 
Game One
SAU W, 4-0
The senior Ward (13-7) got the start in game one of the road series as she made her 22^nd start of 2024 and finished it with a tenth complete game of the campaign. The Paris, Arkansas product shutdown the Ranger offense due to Ward's 11 strikeouts and just four hits over the course of the seven innings.
 
Morgan McAlexander and Savannah Clausen lit the scoreboard up in the opener as the senior from New Boston, Texas (McAlexander) went 2-3 with a run and an RBI while the junior from Arvada, Colorado recorded one hit on three at-bats and three RBI in which she batted McAlexander in for her run. Clausen was responsible for the lone extra base hit by the Mulerider offense in the contest.
 
All of Southern Arkansas' runs came in the fourth by the two just previously mentioned as the Northeast Texas native batted in Ava Dunn (PR for Regan Dillon) and kept the bases loaded with Gracie King on second and Haley Nillen on third. Clausen then steps to the plate for the next at-bat to record her double that scored all but herself.
 
With the victory, Head Coach Jason Anderson made claim to his 700^th career win as a softball head coach and his 394^th career victory as the Muleriders' head coach in his tenth year at Southern Arkansas University
 
Game Two
SAU W, 9-0
Coach Anderson earned his 701^st career victory as the junior Rogers (14-7) started game two as the Statesboro, Georgia native made her 21^st start of the season and recorded her tenth complete game of 2024. Rogers mauled the Ranger offense as she conceded just one hit and one walk as she also struck out 16 of the 24 batters she faced.
 
Four Muleriders accounted for multiple hits in Kamryn Moctezuma, R. Dillon, H. Nillen, and M. McAlexander. Moctezuma, Dillon, and McAlexander were responsible for six of the nine runs scored as each batter recorded a pair of runs. Dillon and Gracie King both accounted for a couple of RBI.
 
From the fourth inning on, Southern Arkansas was in complete control of the evening. Team 26 only earned five of their nine runs, but only one was due to an error by the NWOSU defense.
 
On Deck
Southern Arkansas resumes the series for the finale tomorrow at 11:00 AM in Alva, Oklahoma.