Box Score
SEARCY – Delta State had 17 hits, including seven that never left the infield, and scored seven runs in the ninth inning to defeat Harding 13-3 in Gulf South Conference baseball action Saturday at Jerry Moore Field. The victory clinched a series sweep for the 16th-ranked Statesmen over the Bisons after Delta State won both games of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Trailing 2-0 after three innings, Harding cut the lead to one when Ryan Moody’s infield ground out scored Devin Watts from third. Delta State tacked on three more in the sixth and one in the seventh, but Harding answered with a run each time and trailed only 6-3 after seven.
Harding’s bullpen could not keep the game close, however, allowing seven Delta State runs on four hits and four walks in the ninth.
Harding (14-19, 2-10) had seven hits on the day with Watts going 2-for-4 with two runs and Adam Darby going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
A pair of Delta State batters—Derek Norris and Hunter Jobes—had three hits, but the Statesmen left 14 runners stranded.
Delta State (25-10, 10-2) received strong starting pitching from junior Robert Tucker (6-1). The righthander threw 137 pitches in 8.0 innings of work, allowing seven hits and striking out nine.
Jeff Davis (2-3) took the loss for Harding, allowing 12 hits and six runs (five earned) over 7.0 innings. He struck out three.
The Bisons return to Jerry Moore Field on Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader against Central Baptist beginning at 1 p.m.
