DURANT, Okla. – The ninth Great American Conference series of the regular season is officially underway, as the tenth-ranked Muleriders drove into Bryan County for Southern Arkansas' weekend series at Southeastern Oklahoma State. Team 28 and the Savage Storm started the series off with the doubleheader, and the Blue and Gold ended up taking both games to advance to 39-5 on the season, with a 22-4 record in GAC action.
 
Nearly pitching two complete games in one day was grad student Emma Duncan, as the Canadian recorded 11.0 innings of action and allowed just two runs against the GAC's fourth-best scoring offense. In both of her starts, Duncan tallied 12 batters struck out and surrendered just seven hits against the third-best hitting team in the conference. Also making an appearance in the bottom of the fifth inning of game one was Libby May. The sophomore from Atkins, Arkansas, did not allow a hit in the frame, as she held the Savage Storm at bay to finalize the game. With her complete game in the second outing, the grad pulled off her 16^th CG this season, as well as moving her record to 22-2 on the year.
 
Game One | W, 13-1 (5 inn.)
There are not many better ways to start a day than the way the Muleriders began their day in Durant, as Southern Arkansas started game one with an 11-run top of the first, which was the most runs scored in an inning since Team 25 did so on February 11, 2023, against the Truman State Bulldogs (12-0/5 inn.).
 
In the top of the first, Maddie Leal got the action started with a lead-off walk, and was soon advanced to third after a walk drawn by Sophia Luetticke and a single to left field by America Rubio. After the first out of the frame, Paris Endris recorded the first RBI of the outing with a single to the shortstop, advancing all the runners and batting in Leal, 1-0. Brooklyn Reed then reached first base on an error by the left fielder, which scored Luetticke and kept the bases loaded, 2-0. For the third run, Payton Owens drew the third walk of the frame to push the runners over a base, 3-0. All three runners then advanced on a wild pitch, which saw Rubio score the fourth run, 4-0. Recording a sacrifice fly to bat in another run was AvaMarie Perry, as she batted in Reed for the fifth run, 5-0. After an outfield change by SE, Peyton Raley singled up the middle to bat in Owens, 6-0. Back to the top of the lineup, and drawing another walk (4^th of the inning), Leal took her free base and then made her way back to third on two more walks after her (Luetticke/Rubio), which involved Raley scoring, 7-0. Now with the bases loaded again, with the same three players at the start of the frame, Southeastern made a change at pitcher, but it proved to be all for not, as Regan Dillon delivered a bomb over the left field wall for a grand slam to score the last four runs of the top half of the first, 11-0.
 
The score remained unchanged until the top of the fourth, when Luetticke batted in Raley with a single up the middle, 12-0.
 
The Savage Storm finally countered back at SAU with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth, with the group scoring on a single to left field and cutting their deficit to 11 runs, 12-1.

Team 28 clapped right back in the top of the fifth for good measure, as the unit had Peyton Raley bat in Reed for the final of 13-1.
 
Game Two | W, 5-1
With another shutdown performance from the circle by Duncan, the Muleriders seemed to have cruised to another series win up until SE showed resistance in the bottom of the seventh.
 
While the fireworks show was not as evident in the top frame of the first inning in game two, the Muleriders still began the game hot, as Leal led off with a bunt to pitcher to record a hit, and was then batted in by a Luetticke dinger over the right field wall for the early 2-0 advantage.
 
The Savage Storm did not answer until the bottom of the second inning, with the group recording a solo home run over the left field corner, cutting the Blue and Gold lead in half, 2-1.
 
Southern Arkansas got its run back in the top of the third, with Rubio tacking on a two-out single to left field. After Dillon drew a walk, Endris singled up the middle to bat in Rubio from second, 3-1.
 
For the remainder of the bout, the Muleriders scratch across two more runs, with Endris batting Rubio in again, this time with a double in the top of the fifth, and Leal doubling to push Owens across the plate for the final of 5-1.
 
Up Next:
The Muleriders continue their trip in Durant tomorrow at high noon, as Southern Arkansas will take on Southeastern Oklahoma State in the series finale before prepping to be back on Dawson Field inside the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex.