RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Harding needed one win in Sunday's doubleheader against Arkansas Tech to earn its first berth in the Great American Conference Tournament.

The victory came 2-1 in game two thanks to an outstanding combined pitching effort by Hayden Shirley and Josh Spears. The Bisons lost the opener 5-2.

Harding (27-20, 16-14) clinched the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament and will play No. 1 seed Southern Arkansas on Saturday at noon at David Allen Ballpark in Enid, Okla.

Arkansas Tech (31-19, 18-12) is the No. 3 seed and will meet No. 4 seed Henderson State.

Shirley pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed only two hits and one earned run and struck out six. He exited with two outs in the sixth after giving up an RBI single to Thomas Biocic. Spears entered with the potential winning run at-bat in Jonathan Finnegan, who popped up to shortstop to end the inning.

Spears gave up a single to Scott Sammons to open the seventh but retired the next three hitters to earn his sixth save and punch Harding's post-season ticket. Shirley (8-4) became just the seventh Bison pitcher to earn eight or more wins in a season. He has allowed only three hits in 11 innings over his last two starts.

Harding's offense came in the first two innings with Kyle Atkins involved in both runs. In the first, Atkins led off with a triple and scored on Billy Ninemire's ground out. Kyler Offenbacker singled and moved to second on a bunt in the second. Gabe Fyock singled Offenbacker to third and Atkins scored him on a sacrifice fly.

Jake Bell (6-2) lost for only the second time this season, allowing two earned runs on five hits over four innings.

Arkansas Tech's Ryan Taylor and Harding's Lucas Waddell both pitched complete games in the opener.

The Bisons led early after scoring a run in the top of the first on a Ninemire RBI ground out, but a three-run second inning from the Wonder Boys proved the difference.

Harding cut the lead to 3-2 in the third when Ninemire drove in Fyock with a single, but the Bisons did not threaten again until the eighth. The Bisons got singles from Fyock and Atkins but did not score, and had two runners on again in the ninth and failed to score.

Taylor (9-3) allowed eight hits and two earned runs and walked one. Waddell (4-4) gave up seven hits and five earned runs and struck out two.