ENID, Okla. – Sixth-seeded Harding had 13 hits but fell 9-6 to top-seeded Southern Arkansas on Saturday in the first game of the Great American Conference Tournament at David Allen Ballpark.

The Bisons (27-21) drop to the loser's bracket and will meet Southwestern Oklahoma on Sunday at noon.

Southern Arkansas (37-14) meets the loser of Arkansas Tech and Henderson State on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Harding scored in each of the first three innings and led 5-4. Matt Calhoun had an RBI single, and Jeremy Bohnett drove in a run with an infield ground out. Trent Wooldridge had an RBI single in the second, and Harding added two more in the third on an Erin McCarver RBI single and Bohnett scored from third on a double play.

Harding had nine hits through the first three innings off Southern Arkansas starter James Baune (11-1).

Southern Arkansas, ranked 14th in Division II, tied the game with a run in the fourth and took a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth. Harding starter Lucas Waddell (4-5) exited with two runners on and one out in the seventh, but Southern Arkansas used three hits and the Bisons' third error of the game to score three more.

Harding closed to within three with a run in the top of the eighth on pinch-hitter Davis Richardson's sacrifice fly.

Waddell pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed eight runs (six earned) on five hits. He walked three in Southern Arkansas' four-run first inning but did not walk another hitter the rest of the game.

Baune lasted 7 1/3 innings and gave up six runs (four earned) and struck out two. Justin Thomas got the last five outs and earned his 12th save.

Gabe Fyock went 3-for-3 with a double. Atkins, Calhoun and McCarver each had two hits.