RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Harding softball team split with Arkansas Tech on Tuesday in Great American Conference action. The Lady Bisons won the first game 5-1 but fell in the second game 5-1. The two teams will wrap up their four game series on April 7 in Searcy.
Harding moves to 8-18 overall and 3-9 in the GAC. Arkansas Tech moves to 19-7 overall and 10-4 in the GAC.
GAME ONE
Harding had 12 hits and held Arkansas Tech to only one run as the Lady Bisons took the first game of the doubleheader 5-1.
Harding got on the board in the first inning on four hits. Kimmy Hendricks hit a RBI single to left field to score Courtney Derrick. Mackenzie Jones knocked in the Lady Bisons second run on a single through the left side.
Harding scored two more in the top of the second on only one hit. Derrick hit a single through the left side to score Marley Edwards and Jessica Greene scored on a Brookelynn Moon ground out.
Arkansas Tech scored its only run in the third inning with two outs when Courtney Colunga singled to right field.
The Lady Bisons scored their last run in the bottom of the fourth on a Moon single to left field that scored Emily Jones.
Senior Amber Rollins got the win for Harding and improved her record to 5-7 on the season. Rollins pitched the complete game and struck out three batters. Victoria Huie got the loss for Arkansas Tech.
Derrick and Hendricks both went 3-for-4 in the game.
GAME TWO
Arkansas Tech scored four runs in the first inning as they went on to a 5-1 victory behind seven hits.
The Golden Suns had four hits and Harding had two errors in the bottom of the first inning. Arkansas Tech scored two of its runs on two doubles and scored the other two on a Harding fielding error.
The Lady Bisons got on the board in the top of the sixth inning when Brookelynn Moon doubled to left center that scored Emily Jones from third.
The Golden Suns scored their final run in the bottom of the sixth when Alex Edinger singled to the pitcher which allowed Knowles to score from third.
Morgan Vaughan got the win for Arkansas Tech improving her record to 6-0. She went the distance, striking out five batters. Danielle Hubbard got the loss for Harding. She gave up seven hits and only one earned run.
The game was suspended 30 minutes in the bottom of the sixth inning due to lightning.
The Lady Bisons will continue GAC action this weekend when they host Northwestern Oklahoma in a four game series starting Friday at 2 p.m.
