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ENID, Okla. – No. 1 seed Southern Arkansas used an eight-runeighth inning to lift the team to a 15-11 (BOX SCORE) victory over No. 2 seed Southeastern Oklahoma State on Sunday in the winner’s bracket finals of the inaugural Great American Conference Baseball Championship Tournament.
SAU (35-14) advances to the championship round and remains the tournament’s only unbeaten team. Southeastern (34-16) drops into the loser’s bracket and will face either Arkansas Tech or Ouachita Baptist in an elimination game on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. or 55 minutes following the ATU/OBU loser’s bracket game.
During Sunday’s winner’s bracket offensive showdown, SAU racked up 16 hits, including seven in the eight-run eighth. That inning was highlighted by a two-run homerun from GAC Freshman of the Year Ryan Dardenne. It was Dardenne’s fifth round-tripper of the year and gave his team a 10-7 lead.
The Muleriders sent 13 batters to the plate in the top of the eighth and led 15-8 at the conclusion of the rally.
The Savage Storm responded in the bottom of the inning to finalize the game’s scoring on one swing, a grand-slam homerun by Spencer Barnett to left center, plating Kevin Phillips’ pinch runner Evan Ramsey, Corey Green and Kenny Acosta. Phillips doubled to left center to lead off the inning, while Green and Acosta were both hit by a pitch.
The game’s run production began in the first with SAU plating a pair in the top of the frame on David Allday’s RBI triple and Brady Capshaw’s RBI single. Southeastern answered with four runs in the bottom of the first, highlighted by a two-run single from Spencer Barnett.
SAU pulled to within one run in the top of the second on a pinch-hit, RBI infield single from Jody Spain to score Gavin McCauley, who reached on a walk and stole second and third.
Southeastern answered in the fourth to go up 6-3 on a two-run homerun by Keith Price.
The Muleriders forced a 6-all tie in the top of the fifth with three runs, including a two-run single from Jason Dahl. The Savage Storm answered and re-gained the lead in the top of the sixth on an RBI double from Corey Green.
SAU’s Brady Capshaw evened the score once again with an RBI-single to right field in the bottom of the sixth.
Neither team scored in the seventh frame prior to the 12 runs combined scored in the eighth.
SAU’s Janson Carr (5-1) was credited with the win after allowing four runs off two hits with three strikeouts and no walks in 2.2 innings of relief. SOSU’s Cameron Mann (8-2) took the loss after giving up five runs off four hits with one strikeout and no walks in 1.1 innings of relief.