MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The ninth-ranked Muleriders welcomed in Southeastern Oklahoma State for the two units' three-game Great American Conference series with Southern Arkansas beginning its final home series of the 2025 regular season. For the Friday matchup, the groups played the series doubleheader in order to beat out the upcoming weather set for Saturday. The two groups split the doubleheader and are now set for the series rubber match to start at high noon on Saturday (Apr. 19)
 
Game One (L, 4-0)
Coming into the weekend, Team 27 was riding a 27-game win streak, which was the longest win streak in the entirety of the NCAA prior to the Savage Storm entering Dawson Field and ending the nation's longest win streak after shutting out the Muleriders 4-0 in game one of the series.
 
Brinson Rogers started and finished in the circle for the Muleriders, recording her 21^st complete game this season, but was upended by the Savage Storm's batting. Rogers, before the weekend, had allowed just one home run all season (Vs. SNU | 2/24/25). In game one, SE had the senior's number as the group recorded three home runs off the Georgia native on the windy afternoon.
 
Emily Simmons had the most impressive outing for the Savage Storm, as the designated player recorded two of the three home runs in the contest.
 
Southern Arkansas was shut out for just the third time this season, with the last shutout coming in the Muleriders' most recent loss, against Southern Nazarene (3-0 | 2/24/25)
 
Game Two (W, 11-7)
The following contest looked as if it was going to have a similar outcome to the first game, as Kassie Rhodes started the outing and was relieved before recording an out as Southeastern's first six batters all recorded a hit and all scored for an early 6-0 deficit.
 
Coming in for Rhodes with no outs and the bases cleared after a grand slam off the bat of India McMurray was Corie Byrd for just her fourth Great American Conference appearance this season. The junior from Sweeny, Texas came out and dealed almost immediately following a single to center field. After Byrd struck out the next batter, SE's Kennedy Morgan reached on a fielder's choice (2 outs) and after the play would come off the bag and was picked off at first by Byrd to conclude the wild top of the first.
 
Southern Arkansas responded not long after as the group tacked on two runs in the bottom of the first following a Regan Dillon flyout. Sophia Stoddard reached first on a walk and was advanced to second on a single to the shortstop by America Rubio. Haley Cummings then grounded out to the pitcher, but pushed Stoddard and Rubio to third and second in the process. Kelsie Adams then broke her silence for the day and triple to right field to score Stoddard and Rubio before the end of the inning, 6-2.
 
From then on it became almost a pitchers' duel between Byrd and the Savage Storm's Emily Simmons as they had traded scoreless half innings in the second and SE was held to no added runs in the top of third. In the bottom of the inning, however, with one out Stoddard recorded her third dinger of the season as she sailed the ball over the center field wall to cut Southeastern's lead in half, 6-3.
 
After another inning and a half of silence, SAU kept clutching at some life as lead-off batter Regan Dillon singled to the pitcher on a bunt and was advanced to third on a double by Stoddard. After a pitching change for the Savage Storm, Rubio singled to right center field and scored Dillon for the lone run of the inning, 6-4.
 
Southeastern responded with a run of its own to increase its lead back to three as Kasey Simmons singled to left field to score pinch runner Serenity Oden coming in from third base, 7-4. Byrd wrapped up her game after limiting the damage in the top of the sixth to one run by stranding a pair of base runners.
 
For the entire day, the Southern Arkansas bats were consistently trying to catch a rhythm, and with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, they had caught that rhythm with seven runs on nine hits to take the lead and then some. After a lead-off out by Clausen, Payton Owens singled up the middle, followed by Jalyn McGuffin doubling to left center field and advancing Owens to third. Following the second out of the half inning, Dillon recorded her second-straight hit with a single to center field to score both Owens and McGuffin, 7-6. After the Savage Storm changed their pitchers for a third time, Stoddard singled up the middle to push Dillon to third. Rubio then kept up the tempo with a single to right field to score Dillon and advance Stoddard a base over, 7-7. After tying the game, Cummings kept the pressure on SE with another single up the middle to juice the bases. With the bases loaded, Southeastern made its fourth pitching exchange and was immediately followed by a single from Adams to left field to score Stoddard and Rubio, 9-7. After starting off the half inning, the lineup made its way back around to Clausen, who kept the trend going with a single to first base, and no one to cover the bag for the bases to be loaded once more. Owens then stepped back to the plate and accounted for her second hit of the half inning with a double to left center field for the final insurance runs needed for The Blue and Gold by scoring Cummings and Adams, 11-7.
 
Rogers then came back to the circle to close out the game for Southern Arkansas and did just so in three batters after recording a line and pop out followed by a strikeout for the game two victory of 11-7.
 
Next Up:
The Muleriders will head into their first rubber match of the season as they and the Savage Storm are set for first pitch at high noon and will take place shortly after Team 27's Senior Day Festivities, in which the group will recognize its eight seniors in America Rubio, Cassidy Lear, Sophia Stoddard, Savannah Clausen, Jalyn McGuffin, Jenna Huey, Jocelyn Ulrich, and Brinson Rogers.