ENID, Okla. – Southeastern Oklahoma's Brayon Colley hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Cody Coats with the eventual game-winning run, and the Savage Storm defeated Harding 4-3 on Monday at the Great American Conference Tournament.
The loss eliminated Harding (27-25) from tournament and ended the team's season. Southeastern Oklahoma advanced to play Tuesday against either Southern Arkansas or Henderson State.
Harding scored a run in the second inning on Kyler Offenbacker's bases-loaded walk, and added two more in the third on Noah Chandler's two-run home run to take a 3-0 lead. It was Chandler's third home run of the season.
The Bisons had runners on in every inning but the first but stranded a season-high 17 baserunners. Harding left the bases loaded in the second, third and sixth innings.
Southeastern (19-24) scored a single run in the fifth on Dylan Helms' RBI single and tied the game in the sixth on a two-run homer by Jacob Soisson.
Harding junior Andrew Ralston started and pitched well. He allowed three earned runs on five hits over six innings in his eighth start of the season. Junior Josh Spears (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing the Storm run in the eighth. Junior Hunter Payne got the last two outs of the eighth.
Brady Colbert (6-3) pitched the final 3 2/3 innings and earned the win in relief.
Harding junior Alan Copeland went 3 for 5 with a triple, his second three-hit game this season. Chandler was 2 for 3, and Offenbacker, one of two Harding seniors, also had two hits.
