SEARCY – Harding senior J.D. Glenn lined a bases loaded single off the right field wall to score the winning run and give the Bisons a 3-2 come-from-behind victory in game two of a Gulf South Conference doubleheader against Ouachita Baptist on Sunday at Jerry Moore Field. Ouachita Baptist won the first game of the doubleheader 6-3, but coupled with a 4-2 victory on Saturday, Harding won the series two-games-to-one.
Harding (17-16, 3-3 GSC West) trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the seventh. Sophomore Tyler Thompson and freshman Chase Presley each had RBI singles to tie the game at 2-2. Presley advanced to second on Charles Bradley's walk and both runners moved up on a wild pitch by Ouachita Baptist reliever Payne Spence with one out. Ouachita Baptist was forced to walk Ryan Kincade to load the bases. The Tigers brought in their fourth pitcher of the inning, Sean O'Rourke, to face Glenn. On a 3-1 count, Glenn drilled the O'Rourke offering off the right field wall to score Presley with the winning run.
Ouachita Baptist (22-12, 1-5) scored two runs in the second inning off Harding starter Kyle Cline, but the freshman kept the Tigers off the board for the rest of the game. Cline (5-2) pitched his team-leading fourth complete game of the season, allowing only six hits and striking out six.
OBU starter Jared Hershberger was equally impressive. He pitched 6.0 innings and allowed seven hits and only one earned run. It was the Tiger bullpen that struggled, retiring only one of the six batters it faced in the seventh. Patrick Lemmond (1-2) suffered the loss.
Ouachita Baptist used a 13-hit attack to win game one, its first victory in two GSC series this season. The Tigers got three hits each from Matt Burton, Will Gowdy and Drew Wurzelbacher, who hit a two-run home run.
Harding's only offense came on a three-run home run by Ryan Moody in the bottom of the ninth. Moody was 3-for-4, the only Bison with more than one hit.
Gowdy (7-0), a left-handed junior, shut out Harding for 7.0 innings and allowed only six hits while striking out seven. Moody's home run came off reliever Zach Treece.
Junior Brodie Brumley (3-4) pitched well for the Bisons but took the loss. Brumley yielded three runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings.
Harding is back in action Tuesday for a single, non-conference game with Lyon College. First pitch at Jerry Moore Field is scheduled for 2 p.m. HardingSports.com will have live audio and stats for the game.
