SEARCY – The Harding softball team came up short Monday against the fourth-ranked Southern Arkansas Muleriders in Great American Conference action. The Lady Bisons fell 6-4 in the suspended game from Sunday and then fell in the scheduled doubleheader each by a 3-2 score.
Harding falls to 8-6 overall and 0-4 in the GAC.
Southern Arkansas improves to 13-3 overall and 4-0 in the GAC.
Both teams were purple ribbons in their hair in honor of Ouachita Baptist head coach Mike McGhee who passed away Sunday from cancer.
Game One Key Innings (Southern Arkansas 6, Harding 4 – 8 Innings)
- Southern Arkansas got on the board in the third inning, scoring four runs on four hits. Faith Otts highlighted the inning with a two-run home run to left field.
- Harding pulled with one, scoring three runs in the fifth inning. Katie Carney had a pitch-hit double to left field that scored two runs and Kiley Person scored on a wild pitch.
- Harding tied the game in the sixth inning when Hanna Jones scored on a wild pitch.
- Southern Arkansas broke the tie in the eighth inning when Elisa Favela doubled in a run and Ryah Kaniho singled in a run.
Game One Key Statistics
- Harding had seven hits, all by different players.
- Southern Arkansas had nine hits led by Sarah Evans and Ryah Kaniho each had two.
- Sydney Wader got the win for the Muleriders to improve to 5-1. She threw the complete game, gave up three earned runs and struck out seven.
- Kymberlyn Baldwin received the loss and falls to 2-1 on the season.
Game Two Key Innings (Southern Arkansas 3, Harding 2 – 8 Innings)
- Southern Arkansas got on the board in the fourth inning scoring two runs on one hit and two Harding errors. Elisa Favela singled in a run and Laina Suesue scored on an error.
- Briley Feringa knocked in Harding's first run in the sixth inning to pull within one 2-1.
- Peyton Mills tied the game in the seventh when she singled to the shortstop.
- Southern Arkansas broke the tie in the eighth when Savannah Martinez singled in a run.
Game Two Key Statistics
- Harding had eight hits led by Peyton Mills and Briley Feringa who each had two.
- Southern Arkansas had nine hits led by Faith Otts who went 3-for-5.
- Elisa Favela came in and received the win for Southern Arkansas in three innings of relief. She didn't give up a run and had two strikeouts.
- Harding starter Jenna Hipp received the loss and falls to 2-2 on the season. She went 7 1/3 innings, gave up one earned run and struck out five.
Game Three Key Innings (Southern Arkansas 3, Harding 2)
- Southern Arkansas had a two-run home run to right field by Chelsea Fagan to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
- Harding got a run back when Briley Feringa hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Hanna Jones.
- Faith Otts hit a solo home run in the fifth to give Southern Arkansas a 2-1 lead.
- The Lady Bisons had a lead-off solo home run by Madison Leggett in the fifth to pull within one but left a runner in scoring position.
Game Three Key Statistics
- Each team had four hits in the game.
- Four different Harding players each had a hit.
- Sydney Wader got the win for Southern Arkansas to improve to 6-1 on the season. She threw the complete game, gave up two earned runs and had seven strikeouts.
- Pyper James received the loss for Harding and falls to 2-1 on the season.
Next Up
- Harding will continue Great American Conference action this weekend in Ada, Oklahoma as the Lady Bisons take on East Central in a four-game series. The series is scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
