MAGNOLIA, Ark. -- Texas High graduate Chris Lyles went yard at the most opportune time Saturday when he helped Southern Arkansas University rally past Oklahoma Baptist with a two-run, walk-off home run.
The Muleriders scored nine runs in both games, winning with Lyle's walk-off 9-8 decision Game 1 and 9-6 in Game 2.
Lyles also hit a home run in the second game of the doubleheader, a solo shot to left field.
Southern Arkansas Notes
Game 1
Chris Lyles -- also a Texas High graduate -- Brandon Nicoll and Mikey McGinnis accounted for all nine RBIs in Saturday's doubleheader. Nicoll went 2-4 with one walk and three RBI. Lyles went 3-5 with 2 RBI and three runs scored. McGinnis went 1-3 with four RBI.
Jeremy Adorno tossed the first six innings for the Muleriders where he allowed seven runs on ten hits. Carson cheek worked 1.0 inning in relief of Adorno, allowing one hit on one run in the seventh inning. Santos Sosa wrapped things up, tossing the final 2.0 innings that saw zero runs on two hits.
The Muleriders responded with a homer of their own in the bottom half of the fourth inning, a solo shot off the bat of Brandon Nicoll. The Muleriders made a larger dent in the Bison lead after Lyles tripled to right field and was plated on a McGinnis sacrifice fly.
McGinnis cut the Bison lead to just two runs with a zero-out homer to center field that scored Lyles and Allen who had both singled to start the sixth inning. Chris Sutton drew a two-out walk to begin SAU's game-tying rally. Orr singled to third base before Brett McGee drew a walk to load the bases. A Brandon Nicoll single drove home the two-game tying runs.
Lyles gave Southern Arkansas the win with a walk off two-run home run. The junior hit one past the right field wall to score Allen and himself.
Game Two
After not recording a single hit in game one, Chris Sutton went 3-4 with an RBI and Brett McGee went 1-3 with two RBI in game two. Sutton joined Orr, Allen and Richardson in their multi-hit efforts this evening. Both of Will Richardson's hits went for two bags to see all four of his hits on the day as doubles.
Wyatt Marr started things off for the Muleriders on the mound in game two. The senior tossed 4.1 innings where he allowed one earned run on six hits. Chance Bolter earned the win after his 2.0 relief outing that saw one run on one hit. Isiah Haynes wrapped things up with a 0.2 inning hitless appearance that earned him his conference-leading seventh save.
Southern Arkansas started game two the same way they'd ended game one- with a two-run home run over the right field wall. After being held hitless in game one, Brett McGee left yard to score Orr who had singled in SAU's first at bat of the contest.
The Muleriders increased their lead by two more runs in the second. Will Richardson began the inning with a double to right center before Jackson Duke drew a walk. Richardson stole third, putting him in the perfect place to go home on a Chris Sutton single to right field. Riley Orr plated the second run on a sacrifice play that scored Duke.
Southern Arkansas took the lead back from the bison in the bottom of the fifth where they scored four runs. Conner Allen started things off with a single followed by McGinnis who reached on a hit by pitch. Will Richardson doubled to right center to score the duo before finding his way home soon after. A wild pitch allowed the junior to reach third and the botched throw from the catcher allowed him to score. Back-to-back-to-back walks drawn by Duke, Orr and McGee allowed for the fourth run to be plated when Brandon Nicoll was hit by a pitch.
Chris Lyles smoked his second homer of the day, this time a solo shot to left field in the bottom of the sixth that represented the final run of the afternoon.