ALVA, Ark. — Team 28 finished up action out in West Oklahoma, as the seventh-ranked Muleriders (26-2 | 11-1 GAC) defeated and swept the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers (8-18 | 2-10 GAC) with a series finale score of 11-0.
Getting the start, and completing the game was Emma Duncan, as the grad student pitched her tenth complete game and fifth shutout of the season. In the outing, Duncan surrendered just four hits and three walks, while waving seven batters.
The Muleriders saw solid outings from all around, as Team 28 went up and never looked back to handle the Rangers.
Neither group managed to score until the top of third, but the Muleriders got the scoring going with a lead-off homer by Jenny Bouthillier for her first of the season to go up 1-0. Right after Bouthillier's bomb, Maddie Leal doubled to left field and was batted in for a run with a Sophia Luetticke single, 2-0.
The Blue and Gold added on another run in the top of the fourth with a solo dinger by Payton Owens to lead off the inning, but nothing more, 3-0.
SAU scratched another run across the plate with the third solo home run of the day, as Paris Endris nailed a shot over the left field wall to go up 4-0.
The Muleriders nearly scored more runs in the top of the sixth, but stranded three runners on base. The top of the seventh saw SAU capitalize on runners getting on base, as Endris led the inning off with a walk. Peyton Raley, after coming in to pinch hit, then singled to left field to put runners on first and second. Following that, bases got juiced with an Owens' single. AvaMarie Perry then followed that up with a double to right field, which scored Endris and Raley, to go up 6-0. That was not it though, as the Bouthillier accounted for a sacrifice fly to score Owens and push Perry to third, 7-0. After the second out of the frame, Luetticke batted in Perry with a single to right field, 8-0. Regan Dillon then doubled to center field, which score Luetticke, 9-0. For the cherry on top of the Muleriders' seven-run inning, America Rubio tatted a two-run bomb over the center field wall to go up 11-0 for the final.
Up Next:
Southern Arkansas is back at home this coming weekend, as the Muleriders will face the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs, with the series doubleheader starting at 4:00 PM on Friday (Mar. 20) and the series finale at 12:00 PM on Saturday (Mar. 21).
