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Harding University Athletics

David Butterfield
10
Winner Harding HARDING 25-15
9
Ouachita Baptist OUACHITA 16-22
Winner
Harding HARDING
25-15
10
Final
9
Ouachita Baptist OUACHITA
16-22
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Harding HARDING 2 1 3 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 10 15 1
Ouachita Baptist OUACHITA 2 0 3 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 9 11 0

W: Yakel, Ryder (5-2) L: L. Scaggs (2-5)

Game Recap: Baseball | | by Scott Goode (4/14/19)

Harding Baseball Gets 'Em On, Gets 'Em Over, Gets a Win, Defeats OBU 10-9

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – There is an old baseball maxim that says that in key moments of a game, a team has to get 'em on, get 'em over, and get 'em in.

With the score tied 9-9 in the top of the 10th, Harding leadoff batter Luke Van Dover got on with a walk. Connor Kelly's sacrifice bunt got him over to second, and David Butterfield's single up the middle got Van Dover in for the eventual game-winning run in Harding' 10-9 Great American Conference victory over Ouachita Baptist Sunday.

In the bottom of the 10th, Ouachita had the same opportunity. Chris Willard walked to lead off the inning. Ben Swanger bunted him to second, but the "get 'em in" part never came. The Tigers left Willard stranded at third, and the Bisons took the first game of the three-game series.

The teams will conclude the series Monday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

Harding has won 11 of its last 15 games and improved to 25-15 overall and 15-10 in conference. The Bisons are in fourth place in the GAC standings, 2½ games behind third place Arkansas Tech and 1½ games in front of fifth place Henderson State. Ouachita dropped to 16-22 overall and 10-15 in conference. The Tigers are in ninth, 3½ games out of the sixth and final GAC Tournament spot.

The game-winning RBI from Butterfield was his fifth RBI of the contest. It was the first time in his career that he drove in more than two runs in game and only the second five-RBI game by a Bison this season. Butterfield also had his second career four-hit game, which included a two-run triple in the first.

Harding never trailed in the game and took the lead four different times. Harding took a 9-7 lead in the top of the eighth on a Butterfield bases loaded single that scored Miles Humphreys. Ouachita scored two in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game for the fourth time.

The Bisons took an 8-6 lead with two runs in the top of the sixth. Brendan Perrett scored on a passed ball, and Butterfield had an RBI single to left.

Harding starter Tanner Smith pitched to one batter in the bottom of the sixth, walking Colin McWhorter. Ryder Yakel (5-2) entered from the bullpen and pitched the last five innings. It was his second straight five-inning outing. Last weekend against Southwestern Oklahoma, Yakel picked up a five-inning save. Sunday he got the win, allowing two earned runs and five hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Smith had not allowed more than one earned run in any of his last four starts. He battled through five innings but gave up six earned runs on six hits Sunday.

Luke Scaggs (2-5) pitched the final three innings for Ouachita and took the loss.

Harding scored in each of the first three innings and led 6-5 after three, but Ouachita tied it with a run in the fourth.

The Bisons had 15 hits in the game; the third time in the last six games Harding had 15 hits or more. Nolan Fertig, Humphreys, Kelly and Perrett had two hits each, and Eric Hanson hit a solo home run in the second, his first homer of the season. Van Dover walked three times for the second time this season and ran his walk total to 35 for the season, the most since Davis Richardson walked 37 times in 2015.
 
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