Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

SEARCY – The 20th-ranked Harding baseball team rallied from two runs down late in game one but could not erase an early six-run deficit in game two and split a Gulf South Conference doubleheader with Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday at Jerry Moore Field.

Harding (27-6, 6-2) won the opener 10-7 and fell 8-2 in game two.

The Bisons trailed 6-4 entering the bottom of the seventh inning of game one. Billy Ninemire, who went 4-for-4 with three RBI in the game, singled in Paul Anzalone to cut the UAM lead to one. Harding then scored five in the eighth off UAM freshman reliever Coda Medlin (0-1) to take a 10-6 lead.

Harding had three hits in the inning and all drove in runs. Trent Kinnear and Chase Presley had RBI singles, and Jason Nappi had a two-run triple. Ninemire also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Harding reliever Lucas Waddell (6-0) gave up a home run to Chase Stokes to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and UAM loaded the bases with two outs on a walk to Demarcus Rieves. But Waddell induced a ground out by Richard Atwood to end the game.

Sophomore Ryan Modglin started for Harding and struck out seven but battled bouts of wildness in his 6 2/3 innings of work. He walked five and hit three but allowed only four hits.

UAM starter Brandon Miller allowed five runs (three earned) in 6 2/3 innings. He gave up eight hits and three walks.

Arkansas-Monticello (10-16, 1-7) snapped a 14-game losing streak with the victory in game two.

A nightmare first inning did Harding in. UAM scored six runs, only two earned, on four hits. Two Harding errors contributed to the four unearned runs. All six runs scored with two outs.

After the first, Harding starter Brodie Brumley (2-3) settled in and pitched well. He yielded six hits and four earned runs, walking four and striking out five.

The Bisons trimmed the lead to 6-2 on Kinnear's first home run of the season in the bottom of the second, but Harding never scored again off UAM starter Reece Cross (4-3). Cross went the distance and allowed five hits and two earned runs and struck out seven.

Kinnear went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs. He was the only Bison with more than one hit.

The final game of the series will be Sunday at 1 p.m. Wind gusts of up to 45 miles-per-hour are in the forecast.