WEATHERFORD – An eight run fifth inning, 18 total hits on the day, five quality relief innings from Zane Leonard, and a much-needed final response on offense in the seventh helped lift SWOSU Baseball to a 16-9 win in the series finale over Southern Arkansas on Saturday. The result gave the Dawgs a series victory and allows them to keep pace in the GAC standings as the regular season inches to a close.
It's the first series win over SAU since 2019. SWOSU moves to 22-19 overall on the year and 13-14 in league play with six very important conference games left to play. After a full weekend of action around the league has concluded, the Dawgs sit ninth – just one game out from the eighth and final playoff spot.
SWOSU got a 4-for-6 day at the plate from Marco Barrera on Saturday and nine collective hits from Ty Eastwood, Jackson Syring, and Geoff Marlow who combined for eight RBI.
On the mound, six arms were required to get the job done – none more effective than Zane Leonard who threw from the second inning through the sixth to help steady the ship.
Leonard, in for Josh Fluet who got the start, entered with two runners on in the second inning and no outs, and after a walk of his own, proceeded to get out of a bases-loaded jam without allowing a run by striking out three consecutive SAU hitters. He finally surrendered runs in the sixth in his final inning of work. In his longest relief effort of the season, he struck out six, walked one, and scattered three hits.
The Muleriders jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning but did not score again until the sixth. SWOSU overtook SAU in the third with a pair of runs and then exploded for eight more in the fifth.
RBIs in the third came courtesy of Eastwood (2B) and Marlow (1B).
In the fifth, SWOSU sent 13 hitters to the plate and scored four of their eight runs with two outs. After a safety squeeze made the score 6-1, five straight reached base safely as the bats pieced together four singles – three of which that plated additional runs.
Leading 10-1 after the flurry, the game was far from over. The visitors scored three runs in the sixth and another four in the seventh. Just like that, things tightened with a 10-8 game headed to the bottom of the seventh.
Barerra doubled to lead the seventh off and eventually scored. SAU issued four walks in the inning, one of those intentional, as SWOSU went on to match the previous Mulerider four spot in the top of the seventh with four runs of their own in the bottom half. This nullified the previous momentum that had shifted in favor of the visitors and gave the Dawgs breathing room the rest of the way.
A Marlow two-run home run an inning later all but sealed the deal.
The Muleriders finished with 12 hits including three that left the yard and another two triples and two doubles. SWOSU outhit them but used 14 singles to do their damage. Eastwood doubled twice in the contest.
Up next for SWOSU will be a road midweek matchup against Newman on Tuesday. From there, the Dawgs will face Arkansas-Monticello across state lines next weekend in continued GAC play.
