Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

SEARCY – Harding sophomore Erin McCarver lifted a sacrifice fly into left centerfield that scored Chase Presley with the winning run to give the Bisons a 4-3 victory over Southern Arkansas on Saturday at Jerry Moore Field. Southern Arkansas won the opener 7-4.

With the victory in game two, 18th-ranked Harding improved to 30-7 overall and 8-3 in Gulf South Conference play. The Bisons are in third place in the West Division, one game behind Arkansas Tech and a one-half game behind Delta State, who still had a late game left to play Saturday against Ouachita Baptist.

Harding and Southern Arkansas play the final game of the series Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. The Bisons will be looking for their first-ever GSC series victory over the Muleriders. Southern Arkansas has won every series since the 2001 season.

Game two, scheduled for seven innings, went to the bottom of the eighth with the score tied 3-3. Harding leadoff hitter Chase Presley singled to open the inning against Southern Arkansas reliever Doug Shields. Presley then moved to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run by Billy Ninemire that just missed hitting Presley on his way to second base.

Southern Arkansas then walked Jason Nappi intentionally to load the bases with no outs. The Muleriders brought and outfielder in and played with five infielders and just two outfielders as Shields struck out Jeremy Bohnett for out one.

McCarver then took the first pitch for a ball before hitting a fly ball into the wind blowing from left to right. Presley tagged at third and touched home plate just ahead of the throw by Mulerider centerfielder Gavan McCauley.

Harding senior Donny Stephens (3-0) picked up the win in relief, helping the Bisons get out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation of their own. In the sixth with the game tied, Harding starter Brodie Brumley walked two to load the bases after Patrick Johnson singled to lead off the inning. Brumley struck out Trey Buck for the first out before giving way to Stephens, who got the second out on a force play at home and struck out Logan Williams, the GSC's leading home-run hitter for out three.

Harding trailed 3-0 in the fourth but cut into the Southern Arkansas lead on a two-run, inside-the-park home run by Trent Kinnear. He lined a pitch from Mulerider starter Ziggie Vanderwall into centerfield, but the ball hit off the glove of a diving McCauley and rolled to the wall. Anthony Guglielmi scored ahead of Kinnear, who slid in safely as the cutoff throw to home was offline.

Two Harding pitchers combined to hit five Southern Arkansas batters in game one. Four of those hit batsmen came around to score in the Muleriders victory in game one. Six of Southern Arkansas' runs came with two outs.

The Muleriders scored four in the first off starter Lucas Waddell (6-1), who shut down the Southern Arkansas offense over the next four innings. Harding reliever Ryan Modglin pitched three more scoreless innings before giving up three runs in the ninth.

Dan Bream (8-2) pitched a nine-inning complete game for Southern Arkansas to earn the win, throwing a staggering 136 pitches. He allowed nine hits and three earned runs and struck out six.

Presley had two hits in the opener and was 4-for-8 with three runs scored in the doubleheader.

Harding's 30 victories mark the fifth time in program history that the Bisons have won 30 in a season. Harding won 34 games in 2003 and 2007 and 32 games in 2002 and 2009.