MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Team 27 (11-5 | 3-1) opened up its second home Great American Conference series this season as the group welcomed in Natural State foe Arkansas Tech (10-9 | 2-2) for game one of the three-game series. In a defensive skirmish, the Muleriders claimed victory in game one of the series with a 3-2 final score.
After a slow start by the Muleriders' senior leader in the circle, Brinson Rogers, the Statesboro, Georgia turned on the heat in the final 2/3 of the top of the second and then on. The top of the second inning was controlled completely by the Golden Suns as the group scored a pair of runs on an errant throw by Rogers to first on a sac bunt. The error scored a pair of unearned runs and would be the root cause for a pair of runners being in scoring position. After a brief circle visit, Rogers flipped the script on ATU with a pair of strikeouts looking then swinging. From then on the senior allowed just one more hit, one more walk, and no more runs.
In the outing, Rogers finished her sixth complete game of the season and seven strikeouts.
After all of the action in the second inning, Southern Arkansas would clamp up the Golden Suns on defense, especially with the performance from Jenna Huey at first base as the senior accounted for ten putouts (led game) with three unassisted putouts.
The bats for Southern Arkansas took some time to heat up and adjust to the pitching speed of Arkansas Tech's Alexis Findley as the senior's off-speed pitch proved to be an issue for the SAU lineup through innings 1-3. In that bottom of the third inning was when Southern Arkansas turned it on with the Muleriders' first hit of the evening coming off the bat of Regan Dillon for a double to left field. Jocelyn Ulrich then stepped to the plate and delivered a single up the middle to score Dillon before being thrown out at first base due to hesitation after rounding the base.
After Rogers delivered a 1-2-3 top of the fourth with three ground outs, Southern Arkansas claimed all of the momentum in the contest as Savannah Clausen, with one out, bunt to third base and reached first, which was followed by a single to the shortstop by Kelsie Adams to reach first and advance Clausen to second. Both runners then advanced a base on a wild pitch from Findley. The cherry on top was Sophia Stoddard earning another double to score a pair of RBI, which claimed the lead for the Muleriders in the bottom of the fourth.
From then on it became a slugfest, and Southern Arkansas would throw the final slug as Rogers fanned the final batter on a 2-2 count after three foul balls.
Players of the Game
Brinson Rogers: 7.0 innings played, 118 pitches, and seven Ks
Sophia Stoddard: Game-clinching double to score two runs
Jenna Huey: Led game in putouts with ten
Next Up
The Muleriders and the Golden Suns match up twice tomorrow for the series doubleheader as first pitch is scheduled for a 1:00 PM start with game three to follow shortly after the conclusion of game two.
