Box Score
SEARCY - Five Harding pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout, and Aaron Roberts and Zach Fisher both hit two-run home runs to lead the Bisons to a 7-0 victory over Central Baptist on Tuesday. Originally scheduled as a doubleheader, rain forced only a single, nine-inning game.
Junior Dakota Gardner started the game for the Bisons and pitched 3.0 innings before giving way to the Harding bullpen. Juniors D.A. Kremer and Shane Bishop (3-2) pitched an inning each.
After being held scoreless through the first four innings by Central Baptist starter Tad Hill, Harding plated three in the fifth. With one out, sophomore Will McDonald singled and stole second. He came around to score the first run on redshirt freshman Donny Stephens' single to center. Fisher then hit his third home run of the season over the left-field fence.
Junior Brian McCrackin blanked the Mustangs in the sixth, and senior Kenny Barnett pitched the final three innings for his first save. The five Harding pitchers combined to strikeout a season-high 12 Central Baptist hitters.
In the eighth, Harding tacked on four more. Fisher and J.D. Glenn had back-to-back run-scoring triples, and Roberts launched his team-leading ninth home run off the scoreboard in left. Roberts was 2-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 11 games, the longest by a Bison hitter this season.
The game was a final tuneup for Harding's Gulf South Conference showdown this weekend against Arkansas Tech. The winner of the series will earn the fourth and final GSC Tournament slot from the West Division. Saturday's doubleheader at Jerry Moore Field in Searcy begins at noon with Sunday's single game at 1 p.m.
