Alva Review-Courier -

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Sophomore right-hander Tanner Vaught tossed 5.2 innings in his first outing of the season and in the process picked up eight strikeouts, while his teammates backed his start with a five-run third-inning as #13 Southern Arkansas topped Washburn 5-3 to take the season-opening series on Saturday evening inside Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field.

The Muleriders (2-1) recorded seven hits, four of which came in the aforementioned run-producing third inning, and used solid relief outings from freshman Remy Bilodeau and junior JP Casey to hold off the Ichabods late.

Vaught scattered seven hits and got out of a bases loaded jam unscathed in the fifth inning, before being relieved by Bilodeau in the sixth. In his Mulerider debut, Bilodeau worked 2.1 innings and allowed just two hits and an earned run, while striking out three. Casey worked the ninth inning and preserved the two-run lead as he picked up his first career save.

In the third inning, Southern Arkansas answered the lone Ichabod run to that point in the game with five runs, the first two of which came courtesy of junior transfer Cooper King who went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI in the win. King, on the first pitch, blasted a triple into right centerfield that scored junior Zach Muldoon and King raced home on an errant throw from the outfield that bounced off the newly strung net along the backstop at Goodheart Field to give SAU a 2-1 lead.

Back-to-back one-out singles from senior Jansen McCurdy and junior transfer Mason Peterson put runners at first and second and two wild pitches followed to chase McCurdy home and put SAU up 3-1. Senior Dakota Wright walked to put runners at the corners and a sacrifice fly from the bat of junior transfer Devin Beard scored Peterson making it 4-1 Muleriders. Senior Chad Paris ended the run-scoring frame with a nicely-placed bunt single on the left side of the infield that scored Wright.

Southern Arkansas hits the road next weekend for a four-game slate at the Henderson State Invitational in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. All four of SAU's opponents are in-region foes and the Muleriders begin the weekend with a 3 p.m. first-pitch against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday, February 7. The full weekend schedule is available at http://www.MuleriderAthletics.com where fans can stay up-to-date with all things Mulerider Baseball.