Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Harding bullpen helped the Bisons hold on to a victory in game one, but surrendered five ninth-innings runs in a game-two loss as Harding split a doubleheader with Ouachita Baptist at Rab Rogers Field.

Harding, ranked 30th nationally by Collegiate Baseball News, won the opener 7-6 and lost game two 9-8 in the second weekend of Gulf South Conference action.

Harding (25-5, 4-1) trailed 5-4 after three innings in the opener as Ouachita Baptist scored five third-inning runs off Bison starter Ryan Modglin. Harding freshman Cameron Walker (3-0) came on in relief of Modglin and got the third out of the third inning.

Harding took the lead 6-5 in the top of the fourth on a pair of solo home runs by Chase Presley and Jason Nappi. Presley's RBI single in the top of the seventh gave the Bisons a two-run lead.

Walker started the bottom of the seventh on the mound for Harding, but gave up consecutive hits and a run that cut the lead to one run. Senior Donny Stephens came on and retired the side with the last two outs coming on a double play.

Stephens also set down Ouachita Baptist in the eighth, and freshman Bronson Smith pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

Harding had 14 hits in the game but stranded a season-high 13 runners. Sophomore Billy Ninemire was 4-for-6 with a run, an RBI and a double. Presley, whose home run was his second in the last four games, was 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBI. Nappi was 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI. His home run was his team-leading fifth of the season.

Harding entered the bottom of the last inning of game two with an 8-4 lead, but it did not last. Ouachita Baptist parlayed four hits and a Harding error into five runs and snapped Harding's nine-game winning streak.

Before game two, the Bisons had won 21 of 22 games this season when it had a lead going into the seventh inning.

Brett Mazmanian's triple scored Duncan Collins with the tying run off Smith, Harding's closer. Senior Daniel Niehls came on and hit Kyle Zimmerman, the first batter he faced. With runners on first and third and one out, Niehls walked Brock Green intentionally to load the bases. Niehls then walked Tom Ward on four straight pitches to force in the winning run. Smith (2-3) took the loss.

Presley had three more hits in game two and went 6-for-10 in the doubleheader. Sophomore Erin McCarver had two doubles and drove in three runs.

Nick Holtgrieve (2-0) picked up the win in relief for Ouachita Baptist.

The teams conclude the three-game series Sunday with a nine-inning game beginning at 1 p.m. Sophomore Lucas Waddell will start on the mound for Harding.