BENTONVILLE, Ark. – The 18th-ranked Harding softball team split on Saturday on the final day of the Arkansas-Monticello Softball Classic. The Lady Bisons defeated Emporia State 5-3 in eight innings but fell to Nebraska-Kearny 7-4.
The Lady Bisons move to 8-2 on the season.
Game One Key Innings (#18 Harding 5, Emporia State 3 – 8 innings)
- Autumn Humes singled in Alexus Lawellin from second in the fourth inning.
- Harding made it a 2-0 game in the fifth when Lawellin hit her first home run of the season.
- Emporia State got on the board in the fifth when Katy Nordman hit a solo home run.
- The Lady Bisons scored their third run in the sixth inning when Kimmy Hendricks scored on a throwing error by the second baseman.
- Emporia State tied the game in the sixth when Jacie Stephens hit a two-run single with the bases loaded.
- In the eighth inning with Autumn Humes on first, Amanda Berdon hit a two-run home run to center field to give Harding a 5-3 lead. It was her second of the season and the 24th in her career.
Game One Key Statistics
- Harding had seven hits in the game, led by Peyton Mills who went 2-for-4.
- Emporia State had six hits, led by Cassidy Berry who had two hits.
- Hannah Johnson got the win for Harding and improves to 5-0 on the season. She pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up one hit and struck out one. Autumn Humes started the game for the Lady Bisons. She pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up three earned runs and struck out seven.
- Holly Hinkel got the loss for Emporia State and falls to 2-4 on the season. Eryn Stockman started the game for Emporia State and pitched six innings, gave up two earned runs and walked three.
Game Two Key Innings (Nebraska-Kearney 7, #18 Harding 4)
- Nebraska-Kearney got on the board in the third inning when Molly Stern hit a two-run home run.
- Harding got a run back in the top of the fourth when Autumn Humes hit a lead-off home run. It was her first collegiate home run.
- Nebraska-Kearney scored three runs in the fourth on three hits and a Harding error.
- Trailing 5-1, the Lady Bisons got two runs in the fifth on RBI singles by Courtney Derrick and Autumn Humes.
- Nebraska-Kearney got a run in the fifth and then made it a 7-3 game when it scored a run in the sixth.
- Kimmy Hendricks-Campbell led off the seventh with a solo home run to make it a 7-4 game. Harding had the bases loaded with only one out but a line out and a ground out sealed the win for Nebraska-Kearney.
Game Two Key Statistics
- Harding had nine hits in the game but left 12 runners on base.
- Harding had four errors in the game.
- Hendricks-Campbell hit her second home run of the season and her 21st in her career.
- Amanda Berry received the loss after going 3 1/3 innings. Hannah Johnson pitched two innings of relief and Autumn Humes pitched 2/3 innings.
- Sara Sempek got the win for Nebraska-Kearney improving her record to 1-1. Abbey Martin received the save, pitching one inning of relief. It was her first of the season.
Up Next
- Harding will open Great American Conference action this weekend when it travels to Weatherford, Oklahoma to face Southwestern Oklahoma in a four-game series starting Friday at 1 p.m.
