Skip To Main Content

Harding University Athletics

Connor Kelly
9
Harding HARDING 16-13
10
Winner Northwestern Okla. NORTHWES 19-11
Harding HARDING
16-13
9
Final
10
Northwestern Okla. NORTHWES
19-11
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Harding HARDING 3 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 9 15 0
Northwestern Okla. NORTHWES 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 3 10 11 2

W: K. Honea (3-0) L: McCall, Logan (0-3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Scott Goode (4/18/21)

Northwestern Oklahoma's Ninth-Inning Rally Sinks Harding Baseball

ALVA, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to come from behind and defeat Harding 10-9 in the series finale at Myers Stadium.

After Harding won the opener 7-1 Saturday, Northwestern Oklahoma took game two 1-0.

With the loss, Harding fell to 16-13 overall and 12-12 in the Great American Conference. The Bisons are in eighth place in the conference standings. Eight teams qualify for the conference tournament with the top four hosting a first-round game.

Northwestern Oklahoma improved to 15-9 in conference and in fourth place.

Harding led 9-7 entering the bottom of the ninth. The first four Ranger hitters reached base with the first run scoring on a bases-loaded walk. One out later, the tying run scored on a wild pitch, and the winning run scored on a bases-loaded bunt single.

Harding had 15 hits with 13 coming from four different players.

Connor Kelly was 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. It was his first four-hit game of the season and sixth of his career.

Michael Chrisman had three hits, the sixth time in the last seven games he has had multiple hits in a game.

Cody Smith was 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs. His hits included his team-leading 11th double and his team-leading fifth triple.

Chris Witzke had three hits and two RBIs.

Harding used four hits to score three runs in the first. Kelly had an RBI single, followed by Smith's run-scoring double, and Witzke continued the scoring with an RBI single.

Northwestern Oklahoma tied the game with a three-run homer from Daschal Johnson in the bottom of the first.

Four more Harding hits resulted in three more runs in the second. Kelly, Smith and Witzke provided consecutive run-scoring singles to put the Bisons ahead 6-3.

Grant French hit a leadoff home run as part of a three-run fourth inning that knotted the game at 6-6.

A Northwestern Oklahoma error extended the sixth inning, and Smith took advantage with a two-run triple that gave the Bisons an 8-6 lead.

French's second home run, a solo shot in the eighth, cut Harding's lead to 8-7.

Luke Van Dover's two-out single in the ninth scored Smith from second and give Harding a 9-7 advantage.

Harding used five pitchers in the game with Zach Bilek working three scoreless innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Logan McCall (0-3) pitched the ninth and took the loss.

Harding returns to Jerry Moore Field next weekend to host Southwestern Oklahoma. The Bulldogs are 15-9 in conference and coming off a three-game home sweep of first-place Arkansas Tech. The Bisons play a nonconference game Tuesday at Henderson State.
Print Friendly Version