BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Head Coach Jason Anderson and his Muleriders have now moved on to 9-0 to begin the 2026 campaign, as Southern Arkansas defeated Central Missouri by a final score of 7-3 and Texas Women's by a deciding result of 4-2. The Muleriders look to finish their early trip to Bentonville strong with one more game at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic, as Team 28 will take on Missouri S&T tomorrow at 11:00 AM.
Vs. Central Missouri (W, 7-3)
In game one of the day, Southern saw top performances all around, with AvaMarie Perry leading the way with a 3-RBI dinger to fuel a five-run rally for Southern Arkansas that flipped all of the games' momentum towards the Blue and Gold. Perry was also paired with another home run from teammate America Rubio who accounted for a 2-RBI homer in that fourth-inning frame. Prior to that, SAU saw Kelsie Adams provide a big boost with a double to bat in two runs and claim the lead in the third inning. Picking up her fifth win of the season (5-0), Kassie Rhodes pitched her first complete game of the season, and the second for the Muleriders, as Rhodes yielded five hits and three earned runs, but also held the Mules at bay with five strikeouts.
Central Missouri struck first in the top of the second, with a homer to left, driving in the game's first run. That gave UCM an early 1–0 lead and seemed to put SAU on its heels briefly.
In the bottom of the third, the Muleriders got their offense going with Adams's double to tie by clearing bases and scoring Rubio and Briana Jones, giving the Muleriders a 2-1 lead.
Central Missouri battled back in the fourth, as a wild pitch allowed a runner to score, knotting things at 2–2.
The Muleriders responded accordingly to the Mules efforts, as Southern Arkansas opened the floodgates with a five-run frame. First came Perry with her three-run dinger to score Payton Owens and Leigha Gilbert. Next up was Rubio with a two-run bomb to score Maddie Leal and push the Muleriders ahead and then some, up 7-2.
The Mules attempted to catch back up to SAU, but would come up short by scoring just one run in the top of the seventh on a double, thus having Team 28 secure win number eight this season.
Vs. Texas Women's (W, 4-2)
While there may not have been as many fireworks as there was in the first game, Southern Arkansas did not come out flat in the group final pairing of the day. Having a fantastic game two was Paris Endris, as the senior was responsible for two runs being added to the board with a run batted in during the fourth to break the scoreless tie, and a home run in the sixth to score herself. Two familiar faces who had another impressive game were Adams and Rubio. Adams recorded a crucial triple down the left field line that scored Rubio again and scored Gilbert. In the circle, claiming her third win of the season (3-0) was Emma Duncan, as the graduate surrendered just four hits with two runs (one earned), but delivered 11 strikeouts in the matchup. Duncan also went on to record her second complete game of the season, and the third for the Muleriders.
The first runs came in the fourth inning, when Endris delivered an RBI single, bringing home Rubio after SAU had built a rally with two hits for the first lead of the game at 1–0.
During the fifth inning, Adams tripled down the line, driving in Rubio and Gilbert. That three-run frame made it 4–0, putting Team 28 firmly in control.
In the sixth, Endris homered to left center, scoring one more and upping the lead to 4–0 for another insurance run to Southern Arkansas' advantage.
The Pioneers attempted to lead on a comeback late in the game with a solo home run (4-1) and a plated run in the seventh on an error at the plate (4-2), but SAU snuffed out TWU for the group's ninth win of the new campaign.
Up Next:
Southern Arkansas looks to wrap up the 2026 Alvy Early Memorial Classic with a bang, as the Muleriders take on the Missouri S&T Miners at 11:00 AM tomorrow.
