ENID, Okla. – The top-seeded and defending champion Southern Arkansas rallied from an early deficit to defeat Harding, 9-6, in the opening game of the 2013 Great American Conference Baseball Championships from David Allen Memorial Ballpark on Saturday.
Second baseman Tyler Cameron went 3-for-4 with three RBI. First-Team All-GAC starting pitcher James Baune earned the win as he went 7.1 innings and allowed four earned runs. Justin Thomas recorded his 12th save to set the SAU single-season record.
Box Score
The scoring got underway in the first inning. Harding (27-21) plated a pair of runs as Matt Calhoun and Jeremy Bohnett each recorded an RBI. The Mulreriders (37-14) responded with four runs on only one hit. Harding starter Lucas Waddell walked three to load the bases with one out. Ryan Dardenne hit a potential double-play ball, but the relay throw to first sailed off target allowing two runs to score. One batter later, Cameron drilled a triple over the head of center fielder Kyle Atkins. Cameron came all the way around as he scored a throwing error.
The Bisons scored once in the second and twice in the third to retake the lead. After the rocky start, Baune settled down and posted four scoreless frames before finally exiting in the eighth inning. In the fourth, the Muleriders tied the game at five on a home run by Cameron to left field. Two innings later, David Harris, the GAC’s Player of the Year, began the inning with a hit by pitch. He advanced to second on a daring advance following a fly out to left field. With two out, Cameron drove home Harris on a single up the middle.
Southern Arkansas plated three additional runs in the eighth inning after sending eight to the plate. Chris Quinn and Brady Capshaw drove in two of the three runs. Jason Dahl scored on a passed ball.
Thomas finished the SAU victory by working around a one-out walk in the top of the ninth inning.
The top-seeded Muleriders advance to face the loser of Arkansas Tech and Henderson State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Harding will take on the loser of Southwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas-Monticello at noon in a loser’s bracket contest.