MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Cole Fergus and Bryan Heward hit home runs, but the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys baseball team could not overcome the offensive firepower of the Southern Arkansas Muleriders, falling 8-5 on Tuesday in a non-conference matchup at Goodheart Field.

A two-run single by Carver Rademacher in the first inning put the Muleriders on the board, but Fergus' longball put the Wonder Boys on the board in the top of the second, pulling Tech to within 2-1.

The Wonder Boys knotted the game in the third inning on an RBI grounder by Patrick Castleberry, but a three-run fourth inning gave SAU a 5-2 lead and chased starter Nate Rutherford, who fell to 0-2 on the season after allowing five runs on six hits in three-plus innings of work.

Aaron Johnson came on in relief, and threw two solid innings, surrendering just a solo homer to Billy Germaine in the fifth that saw Southern Arkansas push its lead to 6-2.

Zach Skelton and Randy Vallejo combined to blank the Muleriders in the sixth and seventh innings, while the Wonder Boys staged a rally. Tech cut the SAU lead to 6-3 in the seventh on a sacrifice fly, before Heward's homer in the eighth pulled Tech to within 6-4. An RBI single by Keenan Jumper plated Fergus to pull the Wonder Boys to within 6-5 in the top of the eighth inning.

However, the Muleriders tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning and the Wonder Boys were retired in order in the ninth to seal the SAU win.

Mark Vaughn was the lone Tech player with multiple hits, turning in a two-hit performance on the day.

The Wonder Boys return to action this weekend, traveling to Weatherford, Oklahoma this Friday and Saturday for a three-game series against Southwestern Oklahoma. Friday's first pitch is set for 2 p.m., while Saturday's doubleheader is slated for a noon start.