Box Score

MILLINGTON, Tenn. – If Harding starting pitcher Lucas Waddell can get through the first inning, he is really tough to hit.

Waddell, a sophomore from Ladner, British Columbia, struggled in the first Saturday against North Alabama at the GSC Tournament, but once he made it to the second, opposing hitters had no answer for him.

Waddell yielded two first innings runs but shutout 16th-ranked North Alabama the rest of the way and the Bisons defeated the Lions 5-2 to advance to Sunday's winners' bracket final against either West Florida or Southern Arkansas. The Bisons moved to an all-time best 39-10 record with the victory.

“I got off to a bad start,” Waddell said of his first inning. “I've had a problem coming out not mentally prepared. It was completely mental. You don't pitch that well after the first inning if it's something physical.”

Harding head coach Dr. Patrick McGaha was impressed with the tenacity of his sophomore right-hander.

“Lucas Waddell. What a gem,” said McGaha. “If we could ever figure out how to get him a zero in the first inning, he might be unhittable.”

The two North Alabama runs scored on a Jake Sloan double and nearly cost Harding its catcher. As Josh Cyr slid into home, his cleat sliced the skin off the back of sophomore catcher Erin McCarver's throwing hand. McCarver spent several minutes in the Bison dugout after the play, getting the blood cleaned off and his hand bandaged, but he stayed in the game, and it was a good thing for Harding that he did.

“It was just a matter of getting the blood off my hand,” McCarver said. “I never had any thought of coming out of the game.”

North Alabama (35-11) led 2-1 after four innings, but in the fifth, Harding finally got to Lion starter Chad Boughner (8-2). Senior Charles Bradley picked up his fourth hit of the tournament with a leadoff bunt single. He moved to second on Paul Anzalone's sacrifice bunt and to third on Chase Presley's infield ground out. Billy Ninemire and Jason Nappi then loaded the bases with back-to-back walks.

Enter McCarver, who had walked twice in his previous two at-bats. McCarver worked the count to 2-2 before lining a single back up the middle that scored Bradley and with the tying run and Ninemire with the go-ahead run.

“I wanted to hit something back up the middle,” McCarver said. “I just stuck with the approach I had all day and got a base hit up the middle.”

At that point, his hand was not an issue.

“It was just mind over matter, really,” McCarver said. “Your mind can do so many crazy things if you just tell yourself you've got to fight through it.”

Harding added a third run in the inning when North Alabama third baseman JP LaMunyon bobbled Trent Kinnear's grounder and Nappi scored to make it 4-2.

From there it was all Waddell, who has an 8.10 ERA in the first inning of games and a 2.57 ERA after the first. He allowed only an infield single in the second and a leadoff double in the sixth.

“After that first inning, I just said that I could give up or I could keep going and fight it,” Waddell said. “That's what makes a great athlete—not giving up and fighting through that adversity. So I just changed my mental approach and came back.”

Waddell (9-2) threw a season-high 128 pitches, 83 for strikes, and became just the third Harding pitcher ever to win nine or more games in a season. It was his second win of the season against North Alabama. He limited the Lions to only two hits and one earned run in a 3-1, seven-inning victory in Searcy on March 9.

The losing pitcher that day was Boughner, whose only two losses this season have been to Harding.

It was the second straight outstanding effort by Harding's starting pitchers. Senior Brodie Brumley allowed only one earned run in the Bisons' 4-2 victory over Alabama-Huntsville on Friday.

Harding added another run in the seventh on Nappi's second sacrifice fly of the game. Both of his sacrifice flies scored Chase Presley, who tripled to lead off the third inning and singled to lead off the seventh.

“We got great pitching, great defense and timely hitting,” McGaha said. “That has been the formula all year.”