Tweet #theGAC  ENID, Okla. – The first elimination game of the 2018 Great American Conference Baseball Championship saw Southern Arkansas knock out Arkansas-Monticello, the two-time defending champion, by a 15-6 margin on Sunday from the David Allen Memorial Ballpark.
 
Southern Arkansas (33-17) hit a GAC Championship-record six home runs in the game including two off the bat of Cole Boyd, who finished 3-for-5. Boyd had a solo shot to lead off the fourth inning and a two-run blast in the Muleriders’ pivotal seven-run sixth inning.
 
Southern Arkansas jumped on the board first when in the bottom half of the second inning Austin Baker tripled off the left field wall to score Riley Orr and Zach Muldoon.
 
SAU starter and All-GAC Honorable Mention Jacob Stroder cruised through the first three frames against the league's best scoring offense. Stroder continued to receive support from his hitters as Boyd’s first home run in the top of the fourth extended the Mulerider advantage to 3-0.
                                                    
The Weevils (30-19) scored their first run in the bottom of the fourth when Brian Ray went deep for his 11th of the season, but the excitement was short lived as the Muleriders answered with three runs in the next half inning.
 
Monticello right-hander Michael Harrison saw his day come to a close after he surrendered a home run to First Team All-GAC designated hitter Jake Tisevich and issued a four-pitch walk to GAC Player of the Year. Jacob Richardson. Harrison suffered the loss after he gave up five earned runs in 4.1 innings of work. Dawson Moser relieved Harrison but gave up a two-run home run Cortland McPherson, his second home run in as many days, to extend the Mulerider advantage to 6-1.
 
After UAM got one back in the fifth on a Drake Rowton home run, the Muleriders exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning. A two-run double from Muldoon, a three-run double from McPherson and Boyd’s second home run of the day extended SAU’s lead to 13-2. Southern Arkansas picked up two more runs in the eighth inning behind courtesy a home run by Mark Fontenot.
 
The Weevils showed late fight as they rallied for three runs in the eighth inning to chip away at the deficit. Brady Weiss hit a two-run home run into the bleachers in right field before Sean Wagner scored from third base on a balk.
 
Arkansas-Monticello scored four of their six runs via the long ball, as the Muleriders and Weevils set the combined single-game GAC Championship record for home runs with nine.
 
Stroder earned his GAC-leading 10^th win of the season after he gave up five runs in 7.2 innings of work. He struck out four and did not issue a walk.
 
Southern Arkansas survives to play at 3:30 p.m. on Monday against a to-be-determined opponent. UAM, ranked eighth in the most recent NCAA Division II Central Region rankings will wait until the NCAA.com selection show to see if the Weevils will make their third-straight trip to the postseason.