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Box Score 2
MONTICELLO, Ark. - The Harding baseball team has struggled at times this season on offense. Not Saturday. The Bisons scored 30 runs on 35 hits, including 15 for extra bases, in a Gulf South Conference doubleheader sweep of Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday. Harding won by scores of 16-8 and 14-7 to stay alive for a berth in the GSC Tournament.
Harding (23-20, 6-9 GSC) is 1.5 games behind Arkansas Tech for the fourth and final tournament spot from the GSC West Division. The Bisons meet the Boll Weevils again Sunday at noon in the series finale. Sophomore Troy Keith (2-2, 4.46) will likely be the starting pitcher for Harding.
Including a pair of midweek victories over Central Baptist, Harding has now scored more than 10 runs in four consecutive games, a feat not accomplished since the 1999 season. The Bisons have never scored 10 or more runs in five straight games.
Arkansas-Monticello (0-34, 0-17) remained winless on the season. The Boll Weevils have lost 35 straight dating to last season.
In the opener, Harding tied a school record with six doubles, with senior Bo Whitaker and junior Aaron Roberts belting two each. The Bisons also had a pair of home runs. Redshirt freshman Tyler Thompson hit his first collegiate home run, a two-run shot in the seventh, and senior Zach Fisher hit his second of the season, a grand slam in the fifth.
Roberts went 4-for-6 with three runs and an RBI. It was his second four-hit game of the season. Seven different Bisons had two hits or more.
Senior Michael Skinner (4-4) earned the win on the mound for Harding. The right-hander allowed eight hits and four earned runs while striking out four in seven innings.
Arkansas-Monticello had six errors in the game that led to 10 unearned runs.
Junior J.D. Glenn was the hitting hero in game two for the Bisons. Glenn had the first two-homer game by a Harding player since Adam Darby hit two at Christian Brothers last season. Glenn was 3-for-4 with four runs and four RBI. In the doubleheader, Glenn was 6-for-8 with six runs scored.
Glenn's first home run came as the first batter of the game. His second was a two-run blast in the fourth.
Harding also had four doubles and a triple by Ryan Moody in game two.
Junior Brodie Brumley (4-1) pitched a complete game for the victory. He went seven innings and allowed six earned runs on nine hits and struck out two.
Josh Hathcox (0-6) was the losing pitcher in game one for UAM, and Kyle Thaxton (0-9) suffered the loss in game two.
