SEARCY, Ark. – Harding University edged Oklahoma Baptist in both games of a GAC doubleheader on Saturday at Jerry Moore Field. The green and gold got its best pitching of the season but offensively were limited as Harding won by 3-2 and 5-3 scores.
GAME ONE
OBU was held scoreless through eight for the first time this season. Despite that, the Bison nearly tied things up in the ninth.
Leading up to the end, Harding's Carter McCall threw 6.1 innings, scattered six hits, struck out four and induced nine flyouts and seven groundouts. In that time, the hosts scored a single run, which came in the first on a Chris Witzke RBI single.
Outside of that, Harding's offense didn't muster up much either. In fact, that first-inning run was all that starter
Bo Dallas allowed through the first half-dozen frames. He notched five strikeouts and a few line outs and ground-ball outs.
Even with McCall denying the green and gold, the Bison still had chances. In the fifth,
Kade Self doubled on a 2-0 pitch before
Ramon Gomez drew a walk. OBU's next two at-bats saw connections with the ball; however, each were snagged in left and right field.
Two frames later, Self and Gomez notched back-to-back singles. OBU then left them stranded again with two more outs in the outfield.
Harding's 1-0 advantage was then increased to 3-0 in the seventh. A throwing error from the mound allowed Michael DeWald to round home and on the ensuing at-bat, Drew McNeel singled to right plating another.
OBU then scored two in the ninth.
Troy Shields socked his second homer of the year, this one a two-run shot that plated
Trey Furrey. The Bison then got a two-out walk to
Brandon Brewer putting the tying run on base. However, a lineout to third ended the game.
GAME TWO
Harding pitcher Joel Barker tossed a complete game and only allowed three Bison to reach base through the first six innings as the hosts won 5-3.
Barker also struck out four and got a combined 17 groundouts and flyouts.
With HU's pitching continuing to lead the way, the Bisons scored in a few innings to get ahead. In the first, an RBI groundout gave Harding an early advantage before it scored twice more in the second.
During that frame, Caleb Stull was responsible for both runs as he drove in a teammate on a single and later scored on a wild pitch.
That 3-0 score remained over the next two frames after
Will Duncan and
Jake Hamilton kept HU off the board in the third and fourth.
Fifth-inning action turned out to be crucial for Harding. There were a couple walks, a wild pitch and passed ball early that led to an RBI single by Witzke. A few sequences later, Doyle scored on a wild pitch. That moved the score to 5-0.
Once more though, OBU responded late. In the seventh,
Alex Schroeder started the frame with a solo bomb. That was followed up two batters later as Furrey drove in Self. Unfortunately, OBU would tally just one more run via error before Barker closed the game with a groundout.
Tomorrow, the two teams will wrap up the series with a single game at 1 p.m.
