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Harding University Athletics

DAvid Butterfield
Jeff Montgomery/Harding Universi
7
Winner Southwestern Okla. SWOSU 20-12, 16-11 GAC
5
Harding HU 18-15, 14-13 GAC
Winner
Southwestern Okla. SWOSU
20-12, 16-11 GAC
7
Final
5
Harding HU
18-15, 14-13 GAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Southwestern Okla. SWOSU 1 3 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 7 7 0
Harding HU 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 13 3

W: Haden Branch (1-1) L: Adcock, Dylan (1-2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Scott Goode (4/26/21)

Southwestern Oklahoma Claims Series Finale over Baseball Bisons

SEARCY – Southwestern Oklahoma claimed the final game of the three-game Great American Conference series Monday against Harding, preventing the Bisons from sweeping the Bulldogs. Harding won both games of Sunday's doubleheader.

Despite three Bison home runs and Harding coming from behind to tie the game three times, Southwestern pulled out a 7-5 victory.

With two conference weekends remaining, Harding (18-15, 14-13) is in eighth place in the GAC standings. Southwestern is fifth (20-12, 16-11). The top eight teams qualify for the GAC Tournament with the top four teams hosting a first-round game in the single-elimination tournament.

With the game tied 5-5 in the sixth, Southwestern's Alex Bedard singled with two outs. He scored the go-ahead run on Miguel Soto's double off Bison reliever Dylan Adcock (1-2). The Bulldogs tacked on another run in the eighth when Griffin Larson scored on a wild pitch.

Southwestern's first run also came on a wild pitch in the first inning. Harding answered with Michael Chrisman's sixth home run of the season and fourth in his last four games.

Harding outhit Southwestern 13-7 but three uncharacteristic errors led to four unearned runs, including three in a three-run second inning that had the Bisons trailing 4-1.

It took the Bisons three innings to tie the game for a second time with the long ball accounting for two of the runs. Chris Witzke hit his second home run of the season to lead off the second, and David Butterfield homered for the sixth time this season with one out in the third. Brendan Perrett hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth to tie the game at 4-4.

Ryan Dos Santos gave Southwestern the lead again in the fifth with an RBI double.

Harding tied the game for the third time in the bottom of the inning when Harrison Heffley singled to lead off the inning and came around to score Witzke's ground out.

Southwestern retook the lead in the sixth and Harding did not come back a fourth time.

Harding had five players with two hits apiece. Butterfield was 2-for-5, extending his on-base streak to 21 games, tying Heffley and Chrisman for the longest on-base streak of the season.

Logan McCall started and went five innings for the Bisons, allowing only four hits and one earned run with five strikeouts. Southwestern starter Grant Ewy lasted only 3 2/3 innings and surrendered four runs on seven hits. Bulldog reliever Haden Branch (1-1) pitched three scoreless innings of relief and earned the win.

Harding returns to action Tuesday against University of the Ozarks. First pitch at Jerry Moore Field is at 6 p.m.
 
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