PITTSBURG, Kan. - Southern Arkansas made the 7-hour journey for the their eighth consecutive NCAA DII Regional appearance for their bout with the inaugural Central Regional hosts, the top-seeded Pittsburg State Gorillas. 

Team 26 understood their assignments in the contest as they entered the Regional as the eight-seed, but with plenty of experience behind them. 

The Muleriders were led into battle by the Great American Conference's Newcomer of the Year Brinson Rogers who is one of Coach Jason Anderson's few athletes making their first appearance in an NCAA postseason outing. 

The newest hosts of the regional came in with plenty of confidence as the Gorillas wrapped up the regular season with a 51-6 record, shared half of the regular season MIAA title, and finished the league tournament as runner-ups. Neither squad managed to put crooked number on the board until the hosts did so in the home half of third in which they recorded four hits and scored three runs with all three being earned despite an error. 

After the first two runs were scored, GAC First-Teamer Sydney Ward relieved Rogers and limited the damage to just one more added run while getting out of a bases loaded situation. 

Both group were kept to zero runs in the fourth, but then came the fifth. In her third start of her career, Hope, Arkansas product Brooklyn Reed stepped up and knocked it out of the park in a literal sense. Reed's bomb resulted in the redshirt sophomore's first hit of her collegiate career and the dinger provided the spark for the Mulerider dugout. 

The Gorilla retired their second batter of the fifth to then bring up Kamryn Moctezuma who recorded her second base-hit of the afternoon. The senior advanced to second with Regan Dillon at-bat due to a pass ball, but was soon batted into home with a knock by Dillon to bring the contest within one. Pitt State got out of the inning stranding two runners on base to protect their lead for an inning longer. 

Following a three-up-three-down fifth provided by Ward and her field, Team 26 came back to the plate with momentum as Bella Angelo reached second on a throwing error and was advanced on a sacrificial bunt by Morgan McAlexander. PSU secured the second out of the half inning, but was faced with Reed once more as the Natural State native reached on a fielding error by the Gorillas and propelled Angelo to home for a tied game. 

The hosts managed to get out of the half with a tied contest still in tact, but saw three batters go up and down once more in the home half of the sixth. The Muleriders looked to have seized the golden moment ahead of them with back-to-back walks and just one out, but were subdued by the Gorillas' defense stranding a pair of runners. 

The bottom of the seventh saw Pitt State's top three step up with all three recording a hit and on the third a walk-off victory for the Gorillas. 

Southern Arkansas is now moved to an elimination game with Oklahoma Baptist after the Bison fell to Augustana (1-0). Part five of the Muleriders versus the Bison is scheduled for a 1:30 PM first pitch time on Friday following Pittsburg State and Augustana.