NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Southern Arkansas senior Chris Lyles took a one-out, 0-2 pitch in the top of the ninth through the left side to chase home a game-tying Peyton Ballard, but top-seeded Arkansas-Monticello used a hit-by-pitch and a walk to its first two batters to the plate in the bottom half of the inning and eventually received an Aidan Garrett walk off sacrifice fly to beat the Muleriders 3-2 on Thursday afternoon in game #11 of the Great American Conference Tournament from inside Dickey-Stephens Park. 

The Muleriders (30-19) face (2) Arkansas Tech in an elimination contest on Friday at 3 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.

In the ninth, SAU received a leadoff walk to Grant Roosma, who was pinch ran for by Ballard, Chris Garcia was hit-by-pitch and Jack Roubik pushed both runners into scoring position on a well-executed bunt to set the stage for Lyles' game-tying RBI single. 

SAU used five arms in the loss as Jeremy Adorno went 6.1 allowing five hits, three walks and three HBP. He picked up five strikeouts to push his season total to 100 and make him the first Mulerider arm with three 100-strikeout seasons. 

He, along with UAM starter Charles Peacock, dodge bases loaded situations in the first inning which would set a narrative for both squads throughout the afternoon as SAU left nine runners on and UAM stranded a baker's dozen. 

Sean Sieve (1 IP, 0 H, 1 ER), Nate June (0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB), Hayden Oglesby (0.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB) and Isaiah Haynes (0.1 IP, 2 BF) worked the final two frames in relief of Adorno who held the Weevils hitless through 3.1.

Both teams were scoreless through five innings of play, before SAU's Jaden Woolbright hammered a 2-2 pitch with two outs in the sixth down the left field line and just inside the foul pole for a solo shot and the first NLR run of the weekend. The blast was Woolbright's seventh of the season and stood as the lone extra base hit by the Muleriders in the opener. Lyles and Trace Shoup each recorded a pair of hits. Woolbright and Ballard scored the runs. 

UAM responded with single runs in the seventh, to tie, the eighth, to take the lead, and in the ninth to send the Weevils into Friday's 11 a.m. semifinal affair.