SEARCY – Harding baseball won both games of a Great American Conference doubleheader over East Central on Saturday at Jerry Moore Field to complete a three-game sweep of the Tigers.

Harding (13-4, 6-3) won the opener 4-3 on Billy Ninemire's two-out single in the sixth that scored Kyle Atkins with what proved to be the game winning run. The Bisons scored nine runs in their final three at-bats to erase an early deficit and win 11-3.

East Central (5-17, 1-11) has lost 10 straight and is in last place in the 11-team GAC.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning in game one, Atkins singled with one out. He advanced to second and scored the go-ahead run on Ninemire's single to left center.

Harding led 3-0 entering the sixth inning of game one. Bison starting pitcher Cameron Walker walked the first two East Central hitters in the inning and was replaced by Collin Campbell. East Central's Benny Woodard doubled to score both runners, and Jake Caton's sacrifice fly tied the game.

Harding scored first in the fourth inning on Matt Calhoun's RBI single. Trent Wooldridge scored on a passed ball in the fifth, and Ninemire scored on another Calhoun single.

Ninemire's game-winning single made a winner out of Campbell (2-0). He allowed a run in one inning of relief. Walker gave up two earned runs on three hits over five innings. Bronson Smith pitched the ninth for his fifth save of the season. It was the 16th save of his career, breaking the previous school record of 15 held by Trevor Black (1990-93).

East Central reliever Gerry Sifuentes (0-1) pitched three innings and allowed four hits and one run.

Calhoun was 3-for-3 with two RBI, and Wooldridge and Jeremy Bohnett had two hits each in the Bisons' 10-hit attack.

Calhoun, who was 8-for-10 in the series, continued to hit well in game two. With Harding trailing 3-0, Calhoun hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to score the first two of 11 unanswered runs for the Bisons.

Harding took the lead 5-2 with a three-run fourth inning. Atkins had an RBI single and Wooldridge drove in two more with a base hit to left.

Paul Anzalone, who had his second career four-hit effort in game two, and Wooldridge had RBI singles in the Bisons' four-run fifth inning.

Harding capped the scoring with two more in the sixth with Anzalone and Chris Hardey picking up runs batted in.

Harding starting pitcher Hayden Shirley (5-0) settled in after allowing three runs in the first. He pitched four innings and allowed only one hit while striking out three. East Central starter Andrew Olsen (1-3) gave up six earned runs in four innings and took the loss.

Harding is back in action Tuesday in a non-conference home game against Arkansas Tech.