SEARCY – Harding baseball used the formula of get ahead early, extend the lead in the middle innings and hold on tight in the end to earn a Great American Conference doubleheader sweep of Oklahoma Baptist Saturday at Jerry Moore Field.

Harding won the opener 3-2 and took game two 5-3. The teams conclude the series Sunday with a single game at 1 p.m.

The doubleheader sweep moved Harding's record to 13-10 overall and 7-7 in conference games. Oklahoma Baptist, who had won six straight entering Saturday's games, fell to 11-12 overall and 7-7 in GAC games.

Game 1 – Harding 3, Oklahoma Baptist 2

Harding senior Carter McCall had the best start of his career in the opener. He slammed the door on the Oklahoma Baptist offense that entered the series ranked fourth in Division II in slugging.

McCall (3-1) pitched a career-best 7.1 shutout innings, allowing seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts. He gave up only one extra-base hit.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Harding took the lead in the first. David Butterfield led off the inning with a double and scored on Chris Witzke's RBI single.

Neither team scored for the next five innings before Harding boosted its lead to 3-0 with two runs in the seventh. Michael Dewald doubled to open the inning and scored on a throwing error, and Drew McNeel singled to score Sawyer Price.

Harding freshman reliever Kyle Lane entered with one out in the eighth and got two outs to get out of the inning. In the ninth, Lane surrendered a two-run homer but induced a two-out line drive to third, caught by McNeel for the final out. Lane collected his second save.

GAME NOTES

·         Butterfield and Dewald both had two hits … Butterfield hit his seventh double and notched his fifth multi-hit game of the season … Dewald hit his ninth double, recorded his 10th multi-hit game of the season, and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

·         Cody Smith was hit by a pitch to extend his on-base streak to 18 games.

·         Harding pitchers limited Oklahoma Baptist to 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position.

·         Harding is now 11-2 when leading after six innings … HU is 10-2 when holding opponents to fewer than five runs.

Game 2 – Harding 5, Okla. Baptist 3

Solid starting pitching emerged for the Bisons again in game two, with senior Joel Barker going the distance in the seven-inning game.

Barker held Oklahoma Baptist scoreless through the first six innings, eventually yielding three runs (two earned) with four strikeouts.

Harding again took an early lead, leading 3-0 after two and tacking on two more in the fifth.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Butterfield reached on an error in the first and scored on Coulton Doyle's infield ground out. In the second, Harding plated two runs with Caleb Stull singling to drive in Dewald and McNeel scoring on a wild pitch.

Harding took advantage of three walks in the fifth. Chris Witzke singled to score Smith, and Doyle scored on a wild pitch.

Oklahoma Baptist scored three runs on three hits in the seventh, including a leadoff home run, but Barker got the last out on a ground ball to end the game.

GAME NOTES

·         Barker held Oklahoma Baptist to 1-for-5 (.200) with runners in scoring position.

·         Stull had two of Harding's four hits for his second multi-hit game of the season.

·         Dewald singled to push his hitting streak to 11 games and Smith walked to push his on-base streak to 19 games.

·         It was the second time this season (also 4-0 victory over Southeastern Okla.) Harding won a game without an extra-base hit.