BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Semifinals Friday is in the books, and for the fifth-straight year, the Muleriders will be heading to Championship Saturday. Southern Arkansas took on the third-seeded Oklahoma Baptist Bison, and got back against the group from Shawnee, as OBU took the series from SAU to end of the regular season. In the semis, the Blue and Gold took care of Oklahoma Baptist, as the Muleriders caught fire quickly and never truly gave up their momentum to earn the 8-3 victory.
Semifinals vs. (3) OBU | W, 8-3
Recording her 33rd start of the season, Emma Duncan went on to get her get back against the Bison, as the local of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada dealt for all seven innings against the three seed. Duncan tallied her 20th complete game of the season and moves on to 27-3 in the campaign. Emma accounted for just three hits and runs allowed, with two of those being earned. While surrendering six walks, the grad student corrected herself with seven strikeouts, now at 207 on the season.
After stranding two runners on base in the top of first with Duncan fanning the side, the Muleriders' bats immediately got to cooking against OBU's Jaycee Kelly in the circle. Luetticke got the scoring sequence rolling, as the Chillicothe, Missouri native recorded a one-out single to centerfield, and followed that up with a stolen bag at second. Up next, America Rubio drew a four-pitch walk and both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. The bases were then juiced after Regan Dillon was hit by a pitch. Then came to the plate, Paris Endris reached first on a fielder's choice to second, throwing out Dillon, but both Rubio and Luetticke managed to make it home on a throwing error to first, 2-0. The throwing error also advanced Endris to second. Brooklyn Reed followed this up with a single up the middle, to bat in Endris and go up 3-0. The final run of the frame was then scored on a Payton Owens double to right field, scoring Reed, 4-0.
Both units went scoreless in the second frames, but the Bison were finally able to respond in the top of the third inning, with Kaley Cook leading off with a single. Katelyn Kilgore then reached first on a throwing error after her sacrifice bunt. During that sequence, Cook advanced to third. Greenlee Wells then flied out to right field, but recorded a sacrifice fly, batting in Cook for OBU's lone run of the frame, as Duncan went on to strand a bases loaded situation.
Southern Arkansas did not manage to counter until the bottom of the fourth, in which Owens led off with a single and had Leigha Gilbert come in to pinch run. AvaMarie Perry followed the substitution with a bunt single, advancing Gilbert to second. Both runners then advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Peyton Raley, who was thrown out at first. Up next came Maddie Leal, who flied out to centerfield, but the speedy Gilbert had no issue tagging up and trotting her way home for the lone run of the frame, 5-1.
After neither group scratched across a run in the fifth, Oklahoma Baptist had seemed to snag some momentum from the Muleriders, as the unit scored two in the top of the sixth. The brief rally began with a one-out triple by Haley Hacker, which was followed by two ensuing walks, loading the bases. Following a foul out for the second out of the frame, Cook singled to left center to bat in two runs. Team 28 got out of the jam with a fielder's choice toss to second by Ame Rubio, 5-3.
Southern Arkansas immediately clapped back against OBU with a three-spot on the bottom of the sixth, as Raley led off by reaching first on a throwing error and advancing to second on the error. Leal nearly did the same, as the Houston, Texas local reached on a fielding error by the left fielder, placing two runners on base with no outs and two errors. The unit recorded its first hit of the frame with a Luetticke triple to left centerfield, batting in both runner, 7-3. Following the first out of the frame, Dillon tacked on the final nail in the coffin for the Bison with a ground out RBI to bat in Luetticke, 8-3.
Up Next:
The Muleriders are GAC Championship bound for the fifth-consecutive season, as Team 28 will seek the program's second-straight GAC Championship Tournament title in tomorrow's outing against the top-seeded Arkansas Tech Golden Suns. ATU comes off a 9-0 run-rule triumph over the fourth-seeded Harding Lady Bisons. In the regular season, SAU went to Arkansas Tech and defeated the Golden Suns in all three outings. Tomorrow's championship contest is set for a 12:30 PM start.
