RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Cody Jones turned in a solid, complete-game effort and Mark Vaughn went 3-for-4, but the Arkansas Tech baseball team couldn't find a way past Southern Arkansas, dropping a 4-0 decision in the opener of a three-game Great American Conference series Friday night at Tech Field.

Jones tossed all nine innings for the Wonder Boys (19-15, 6-9 GAC), working around nine hits and three walks while allowing just three earned runs and striking out eight against one of the top lineups in the GAC. Kris Ayers, Caleb McKinnon, Keenan Jumper and Rafiel Johnson all added solo hits against the Muleriders (24-12, 12-7 GAC).

The Wonder Boys had at least one runner on in seven of the first eight innings, as the Muleriders rode starting pitcher Landon Simpson and a strong defense for nine innings, stranding Tech runners or picking up key double plays in seven different frames. Vaughn singled to start the bottom of the first, but was canceled out by a double play to follow. Jumper led off the third with a double and moved up to third on Johnson's sacrifice bunt, but two straight groundouts stranded him there. Tech put on two runners with two outs in the fifth, and pushed runners to second and third with two out in the eighth but couldn't score against the guests.

Jones posted season highs in innings pitched and strikeouts with his effort, and settled down after allowing an unearned run in the top of the first and two runs in the fourth. He set the Muleriders down in order in the fifth. After facing a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the sixth and getting out of it allowing just one run, he tossed perfect frames in the seventh and ninth to wrap up his night.

The Wonder Boys and Muleriders wrap up their three-game GAC series with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.