Box Score
SEARCY – Ouachita Baptist, ranked fourth nationally in NCAA II, completed a three-game Gulf South Conference sweep of Harding on Sunday at Jerry Moore Field, defeating the Bisons 14-6.
Ouachita Baptist (31-2, 6-0 GSC) extended its winning streak to 18 games and swept its second straight GSC series.
Ouachita Baptist held a slim 3-1 lead after four innings but erupted for eight runs on seven hits in the top of the fifth to pull away.
Harding (20-13, 1-5 GSC) answered with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Senior Devin Watts' two-run triple was the big blow, but the Bisons got no closer.
Jeremy Haworth was 3-for-4 with five runs batted in, and Chance Beasley was 2-for-5 with five runs scored and two RBI for the Tigers.
Watts and junior Adam Darby each had three hits for the Bisons. Junior Bo Whitaker had a pair of doubles.
Harding freshman Troy Keith (4-1) suffered his first loss of the season on the mound. The right-hander allowed nine hits and nine runs (seven earned) over 4.2 innings.
Kody Gibson (5-0) went 5.0 innings, scattering seven hits and yielding two earned runs to collect the win.
Harding tied a season high with 13 hits in the game and tied a school record with four double plays turned. Ouachita Baptist's 14 runs tied the most by a Harding opponent this season.
The Ouachita Baptist series ended a 17-game homestand for Harding. The Bisons finished the homestand with a 9-8 mark. Harding goes on the road to meet Crichton College on Tuesday at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn. The doubleheader begins at 2 p.m.
