Box Score

SEARCY – After two shaky outings from its starting pitchers Saturday, 20th-ranked Harding received eight solid innings from sophomore Logan Holthaus, and senior Charles Bradley drove in three runs to lead the Bisons to a 7-1 victory over Arkansas-Monticello on Sunday at Jerry Moore Field.

Harding (28-6, 7-2) moved into a second-place tie in the Gulf South Conference West Division with the victory. The Bisons are a game behind Delta State for the conference lead and tied with Arkansas Tech.

Harding and Arkansas-Monticello split two games yesterday, and the Bisons' starting pitchers gave up 13 runs in 12 2/3 innings.

Holthaus (4-0) missed his start last weekend against Ouachita Baptist after taking a line drive off his pitching arm in his outing against Christian Brothers. He returned Sunday and yielded only one earned run on seven hits and struck out six.

The sophomore from Winona, Mo., worked out of trouble several times in the game, as Arkansas-Monticello had at least one runner on base in each inning after the first. Holthaus stranded eight UAM runners in his eight innings, and the Bisons ended Boll Weevil rallies in the fifth and sixth innings with a pair of double plays.

Bradley, one of the best bunters in the GSC, used his reputation to drive in Harding's first two runs in the second inning. With runners at second and third with one out, Bradley squared around to bunt and took the first two pitches from UAM starter Eddie Smith for balls. On the third pitch, Boll Weevil third baseman Demarcus Rieves came charging in, and Bradley slashed a base hit to left to score two.

Senior Jason Nappi tripled and scored on Jeremy Bohnett's ground ball in the third to give Harding a 3-0 lead. Nappi's triple was the 20th of the season for the Bisons, setting a new team record. The 2007 Bisons had 19 triples.

Arkansas-Monticello (10-17, 1-8) scored its only run in the fourth on a run-scoring single from Chase Stokes.

Holthaus continued to wriggle out of jams until the eighth when Harding tacked on four insurance runs. Two runs scored on a throwing error by UAM reliever Brett Stewart. Harding's Trent Kinnear drove in a run on a ground out and Bradley added his third RBI of the game on another single to left.

Smith (3-4) went seven innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits and took the loss.

Harding plays again Tuesday against Lyon College in Batesville, Ark. The Bisons next home action is next Saturday and Sunday against Southern Arkansas in a three-game GSC series.