YOUNGSVILLE, La. — The best way to start the season is 1-0, but Mulerider Softball's 27th team in program history upped the stakes by starting 2-0 along with a win over a top-ten nationally ranked team and Head Coach Jason Anderson's 400th victory for Southern Arkansas. 

For day one at the Mardi Gras Invitational, the Blue and Gold took on the Miles College Golden Bears and the 7th-ranked Augustana (SD) Vikings. 

Muleriders vs. Miles | W, 4-3

The Muleriders made their first meeting with the Golden Bears a memorable one as the group was faced with adversity in the first contest of the new season. 

Southern Arkansas drew first blood as Jocelyn Ulrich recorded a sacrifice fly into center field that scored Sophia Stoddard for 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. 

Miles gained its lone advantage of the outing with three runs in the top of the third that produced the 1-3 deficit for the Muleriders. The score remained the same until a Savannah Clausen homer brought the battle within one run at 2-3 in the bottom of the fifth. 

Later in that same inning, Jenna Huey made her plate appearance count as the senior batted in Ulrich (in scoring position at second) to tie the contest at 3-3. 

In the bottom of the sixth and with bases loaded, returning All-GAC honoree Regan Dillon stepped to the plate and recorded an RBI single to gain the group's first lead since the first inning as well as producing the final score. 

Kassie Rhodes is credited with the win after entering the game at the start of the fourth and aiding the Muleriders in the comeback in her first appearance in the Blue and Gold. 

Muleriders vs. #7 Augustana (SD) | W, 4-1

Whereas game one of the day proved to show the Muleriders plenty of adversity, game two against the 7th-ranked Vikings from Augustana proved much different as Southern Arkansas handled their business offensively early and dealt strong defensive play from the 2024 Great American Conference Newcomer of the Year Brinson Rogers. 

While against the Golden Bears, the Blue and Gold sought after an offensive spark for most of the contest after scoring the first run, but against Augie, the Muleriders had no issues early on with the bats. The group had three of the first five of the lineup make it on base but left all three on. 

In the second inning, the unit started back up right where they left off and once more put up the contest's first run with an RBI single into right-center by Cassidy Lear. 

In the same inning with loaded bases and one out, Clausen showed off her hitting skills once again by clearing bases with a double into right-center field to score the Muleriders' next and final three runs of the evening. 

The Vikings could not manage to hang any runs on the Muleriders up until the bottom of the sixth, and by that time their fate was already sealed as Rogers closed the game from start to finish. 

With both victories on the 2025 opening day for Mulerider Softball, Head Coach Jason Anderson earned his 399th and 400th victory at Southern Arkansas University. With this being Anderson's tenth year coaching the Muleriders, the Southern Arkansas leader is averaging 44.22 wins per season over his nine previous seasons with the Muleriders (73.8%). 

On Deck:

After a stellar way to cap off day one of the fresh campaign, the Muleriders look to keep this hot start rolling as the unit will face the 12^th-ranked Mississippi College Choctaws (1-1) and the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers (1-1) tomorrow in Youngsville.