Storm Drop GAC Opener at No. 17 SAU

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southeastern jumped out to a 3-0 lead but was unable to hold onto it as the Savage Storm dropped in Great American Conference opener to No. 17 Southern Arkansas 7-6 on Saturday night in Magnolia, Ark.
 
The loss drops SE to 6-3 overall on the year and 0-1 to open GAC play with the final two games of the series slated for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.
 
Nick Hill would collect a pair of hits to lead Southeastern, while Damon Burroughs, Reid Rice, Jake Miller, Brady Evans, Cam Wheeler, and Dylan Herd each added one.
 
Wheeler would drive in a pair of runs, while Rice, Evans, Miller, and Herd had an RBI each.
 
Cameron Hauch got the start and took his first loss of the season, dropping to 2-1 after tossing 5.2 innings and allowing seven runs on eight hits with five strikeouts.
 
Coby Langford would strikeout the only batter he faced in relief to end the sixth inning.
 
Michael Minaya would follow with a scoreless inning, striking out one, with Jared Barta tossing the final inning and striking out two without allowing a run.
 
Southeastern was the first team to break through, with Miller driving in the game's first run on an RBI single that plated Hill.
 
A batter later Evans would drive in Rice, and two batters after that a Herd infield dingle would plate Miller to take a 3-0 lead.
 
SAU would answer in the bottom half of the inning, first with a solo homer to lead off the inning followed later by a sac fly and a three-run homer to take a 5-3 lead through four.
 
Rice would drive in Cory Bonstrom in the top of the fifth to close the gap to 5-4, but the Muleriders would tack on two more in the sixth to stretch the lead to 7-4.
 
Wheeler would connect on a pinch-hit, two-run double in the top of the seventh to close the deficit to 7-6, but that is where the rally would end.