MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Another weekend inside the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex has begun, as Mulerider Softball started up their series against the Arkansas-Monticello Cotton Blossoms (14-31 | 7-22 GAC), in which the Blue and Gold started the series with the doubleheader. Southern Arkansas took both games from the Blossoms on Thursday and advanced to 41-5, with a 24-4 record in the Great American Conference. The game one win against Arkansas-Monticello marked the Muleriders' 40th victory, which is the group's second-straight campaign to do so, as well as the seventh 12th-year head coach Jason Anderson's career at Southern Arkansas. With both wins, the Muleriders winning streak increases to eight-straight triumphs. 

Game One | W, 6-0

Getting the win, her 27th start of the season, her 17th complete game of the season, and her eighth shutout for the campaign was Emma Duncan, as the grad student from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Canada dealt a superb outing against the Blossoms. Duncan went on to allow just two hits and one walk in her seven innings of work, while also tallying five waved batters. 

Team 28 handled UAM in game one of the Timberlands weekend series, as the Muleriders' started the bout with a three-up-three-down top half of the first, followed by the Blue and Gold recording a three-spot in the bottom of the inning. Starting the scoring was a Regan Dillon sacrifice fly to bat in Sophia Luetticke, but shortly after, Paris Endris hit an absolute bomb over the left center field wall to bat in America Rubio and herself, 3-0. 

After another short top half inning forced by the Muleriders' defense, Southern Arkansas tacked on another run in the bottom of the second, with Peyton Raley singling to left field and batting in Payton Owens for the 4-0 advantage. 

Both offenses were silenced from then on until the bottom of the sixth inning, in which SAU saw Ame Rubio reach on a fielder's choice, that scored Raley. Just after that, Dillon reached on a fielder's chose and batted in Maddie Leal in the process, recording the final runs of the contest, 6-0. 

With a solid performance in the series opener, Endris recorded a half cycle, as the senior went 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run, double, a walk, and two RBIs. 

Game Two | 12-4 (6 inn.)

Starting game two was senior lefty Kassie Rhodes, as the Quitman, Arkansas local went 2.1 innings before being relieved for Corie Byrd. Byrd, a native of Sweeny, Texas pitched 1.0 inning prior to Duncan coming back out to finish off UAM and claim her 24th win of the season. The Canadian went on to pitch the final 2.2 innings, in which she allowed just one hit, no walks, and struck out three batters. 

This battle saw many more momentum shifts, but the Muleriders' dominant play early on and towards the end of game proved to be too much for Arkansas-Monticello in the end. 

The Blossoms posted another scoreless top of the first, but not silently, as the group had left two runners on base in the frame with two hits. The Blue and Gold scratched across four runs in the bottom frame of the first, which started with a Luetticke double to bat in Leal, 1-0. After back-to-back outs, Endris tallied her second double of the day, which scored Luetticke, 2-0. Up next came Brooklyn Reed, who on a 1-1 pitch nailed the ball, sending it over the left field wall for a two-run dinger for her second of the season, 4-0. 

After a scoreless second, the Cotton Blossoms had finally found their groove, as the unit scored three runs in the top of the third on two hits. The group got their first run aboard after a Carleigh Deeds double to right center field batted in a runner from second, 4-1. After the exchange for Byrd, UAM's Madelyn Willard doubled to center field to bat in Maddie Moore and Deeds, 4-3, which gave the Blossoms some life. 

Southern Arkansas responded to the momentum gained by UAM in the top frame, with the squad stroking in two runs in the bottom of the third. Both runs came off the same bat, as Luetticke accounted for another double to push through pinch runner Briana Jones and Peyton Raley, 6-3. 

The Blossoms managed to scratch back across one more run in the top of the fourth, which ended up being their last when Maddie Moore recorded the only hit against Duncan in the bout to bat in Lainey Tippen, cutting the Muleriders' lead to two runs. 

After a scoreless fourth, Team 28 recorded back-to-back multi run innings. In the bottom of the fifth, Southern Arkansas scored a pair of runs on a Leal double to bat in AvaMarie Perry and Raley, 8-4. The bottom of the sixth is when the Blue and Gold shut down the Blossoms chances of coming back, as the group scored four runs one hits, drawing five walks and being hit by one pitch. The final walk to cap off the four-spot frame was Reed taking her base and pushing in pinch runner Leigha Gilbert  for the Muleriders 12-4 literal walk-off victory to clinch their tenth series of the campaign. 

A standout player for the Muleriders in game two was Sophia Luetticke, as the Chillicothe, Missouri native went 3-for-3 with a run scored and four RBIs. 

Up Next:

Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello get a day to rest and recollect themselves, as the group's will reconvene on Saturday for the series finale, which is set to begin at 1:00 PM.