HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas – The Ouachita Baptist University baseball team gave No. 1 seed Southern Arkansas a good fight, but ultimately fell to the Muleriders by a final score of 7-5 on Sunday in the winner's bracket of the Great American Conference Championship Tournament at Majestic Park.
With the loss, the Tigers fall into the elimination bracket and will face either Arkansas-Monticello or Harding on Monday at 12:40 p.m. UAM and Harding play Sunday at 7 p.m.
In Sunday's loss to SAU, the Tigers (31-21) fell behind early after the Muleriders (39-11) scored two in the bottom of the first inning. The Ouachita offense answered in the top of the third, taking the lead with three runs with the help of a pair of walks, a wild pitch, and a pair of sacrifice fly outs.
The Muleriders answered with four runs in the third inning to regain the lead, and then went up 7-3 with one run in the fifth.
Ouachita cut the deficit in half in the sixth on a two-run homerun by
Jaxon Chaney, his eighth of the season.
The Tigers had a chance to take the lead in the ninth, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a single, but the Muleriders defense preserved the win with a diving catch by the right fielder.
Tallon Heine accounted for three of Ouachita's seven hits, going 3-for-4.
Jaxon Chaney also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4.
