Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SEARCY – Harding baseball lost both games of their Great American Conference doubleheader Saturday to Arkansas Tech, falling 8-6 in game one and 3-1 in game two.

Harding fell to 22-19 overall and 6-12 in conference play. The Bisons remain in eighth place in the GAC standings with six games remaining. The top six teams in conference play advance to the GAC Tournament in Enid, Okla., in May.

Arkansas Tech swept its first series of the season and improved to 21-21 overall and 10-8 in conference play. The Wonder Boys are tied with Southwestern Oklahoma for third in the conference.

Arkansas Tech took an early lead in the opener with a two-run second inning of Harding starter Logan Holthaus (2-3). Harding answered in the bottom of the inning on a Chris Hardey sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 2-1.

Tech then knocked Holthaus from the game in the third, scoring four runs. The Bisons cut the lead to 6-4 with three in the bottom of the third. Matt Calhoun, Anthony Guglielmi and Hardey each had an RBI.

The Wonder Boys put the game away with two more runs in the seventh on Zach Thomas' third double of the game. He was 3-for-4 with five RBI.

Billy Ninemire had a two-run double in the eighth to make it 8-6. Ninemire was 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI.

Holthaus went 2 2/3 and allowed four hits and six runs (five earned) with two walks. Arkansas Tech starter Caleb Powers did not escape the third inning either. He gave up seven hits and four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Reliever Cody Hatman (3-3) came in for the Wonder Boys and allowed only two unearned runs over the final 6 1/3 innings and picked up the win.

Both teams' starting pitchers in game two battled wildness but turned in solid efforts.

Harding's Hayden Shirley (3-4) took the loss but allowed only three hits and one earned run while walking five and striking out two.

Tech's first run came in the second when Nate Wilder walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, when to third on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error by Harding catcher Tyler Stanford.

Wilder walked with the bases loaded in the sixth for the Wonder Boys' second run. The walk knocked Shirley out of the game as Bronson Smith entered. Smith gave up an unearned run in the seventh as Tech took a 3-0 lead.

Harding got an RBI single from Gabe Fyock in the seventh but got no closer.

It was the only run allowed by Zak Anstine, who pitched a complete game and allowed four hits and six walks. He also struck out six.

Harding will play its next eight games on the road beginning Tuesday against Henderson State. The game begins at 3 p.m. in Arkadelphia.