April 12, 2008

Game 1 Stats | Game 2 Stats

MAGNOLIA, Ark.--No. 2 Southern Arkansas pounded out 25 hits and scored 30 runs on their way to a sweep of a Gulf South Conference West Division doubleheader over the Christian Brothers University Bucs Saturday, winning 18-7 and 12-7.

The Muleriders (35-4, 14-0 GSC West) showed why they lead the nation in runs, homers, doubles, and slugging percentage as they jumped in front with four runs in the first inning.

The Muleriders quickly built a 10-1 lead in the first four innings, but the Bucs (14-22, 6-7) batted around in a six-run fifth inning, cutting the SAU lead to three runs at 10-7. SAU stretched it back out from there, winning 18-7 on a two-run John Long homer in the eighth. Long went 5-for-5 with two homers, two doubles, five RBI, and six runs in the game.

Josh Shelton (Rosemark, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) went 4-for-5 with three RBI for the Bucs, including an RBI single in the first and a two-run single in the fifth. Andrew Griffy (Arlington, Tenn./Bolton HS) and Rocky Escajadillo (Cordova, Tenn./Cordova HS) each had two hits for the Bucs.

In game two, the Muleriders scored three in the third and six in the fourth to break open a scoreless tie on their way to a 12-7 win. The Muleriders used two walks, two hits, and an error to score three in the third, and they converted four hits, two walks, a hit batter, and an error into six runs an inning later.

The Bucs scored in the fifth as Alvino Ramirez (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS) singled and scored on a Mark Foster (Cordova, Tenn./Cordova HS) double. Ramirez was on the other side in the sixth, hitting a two-run single to trim the lead to 9-3.

After SAU scored three in the bottom of the sixth, the Bucs batted around in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 12-7. The first four Bucs reached, with three base hits following a leadoff walk to Foster. After a pair of RBI groundouts, CBU put two more runners on before a strikeout finally ended the game.

Ramirez went 3-for-4 in game two, while Griffy, Shelton, and Kaminski had two hits each.

The Bucs and Muleriders will meet again Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. for the series finale, which will be CBU's final GSC West road game. The Bucs come home Tuesday afternoon for a non-conference doubleheader with Union.