The Ouachita Tiger baseball team continued conference action on Friday, hosting Southern Arkansas for a Friday afternoon game that saw chilly temperatures and a few runs as well. Ouachita was on the losing end of things in the end though, as Southern Arkansas notched a 6-3 weekend in the series opener.
The Tigers (8-7-1, 4-3 GAC) fell behind early, as the Muleriders (13-5, 7-0 GAC) started things off in the first inning with an RBI single, giving themselves an early 1-0 lead.
An error in the third inning allowed for the Muleriders to add to their lead, as they made it a 2-0 game when David Harris crossed the plate.
Ouachita answered in the bottom of the third though, as Matt Balogh and Duncan Collins both scored after an error from Southern Arkansas and evened the score at 2-2.
The fourth inning saw both teams coming up with runs, as an RBI double from SAU’s Chris Quinn scored William Townsend in the top half, while an RBI single from McCrae Jones scored Landon Moore in the bottom half, keeping the score knotted at three.
SAU put the game away late though, with runs in the sixth, seventh and ninth inning putting the score at 6-3, where it would end up when the final out was recorded.
Ouachita’s Jones recorded the only RBI of the day for the team. Balogh, Collins and Moore were all credited with runs in the game, while Chris Tavares finished the day with a 2-of-4 performance from the plate.
For Southern Arkansas, Chris Quinn led the way in scoring with 2 RBIs and a run scored during a 1-of-3 day from the plate. Harris and Ryan Bell recorded RBIs in the game, while Townsend finished the day 2-of-3 with a run scored.
James Baune took the win for the Muleriders, improving to 4-1 on the year. He threw 7.1 innings and recorded four strikeouts while giving up seven hits and three runs to the Tigers.
Austin Watson was hit with the loss for Ouachita after putting in seven innings of work. He fell to 1-2 on the year, giving up five runs, although only two were earned.
The Tigers and Muleriders are back at it on Saturday, with doubleheader action taking place at Rab Rodgers Field. First pitch is scheduled for noon.
