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Harding University Athletics

2023 Baseball vs. Williams Baptist - 1
2
Williams Baptist WBU 4-3
11
Winner Harding HU 6-0
Williams Baptist WBU
4-3
2
Final
11
Harding HU
6-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Williams Baptist WBU 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 4 4
Harding HU 4 5 2 0 0 0 X 11 11 2

W: Hamilton, Brian (1-0) L: Fowler Maddox (0-1)

2
Williams Baptist WBU 4-4
4
Winner Harding HU 7-0
Williams Baptist WBU
4-4
2
Final
4
Harding HU
7-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Williams Baptist WBU 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 6 0
Harding HU 0 2 1 0 0 1 X 4 7 0

W: Jay, Merritt (1-0) L: Cash Forrester (1-1) S: Whaley, Luke (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Scott Goode (2/15/23)

Harding Baseball Wins Two, Off to Best Start Since 2012

SEARCY – The torrid start to the 2023 Harding baseball season continued Tuesday.

The combination of scoring early runs and strong starting pitching led Harding to a doubleheader sweep of Williams Baptist. Harding scored nine runs in the first two innings of the opener and won 11-2, and jumped out to an early two-run lead in the second inning of a 4-2 victory in game two.

Harding, ranked No. 6 in the first NCBWA Central Region Rankings, improved to 7-0 to start a season for the first time since 2012. Williams Baptist, an NAIA school located in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, had its four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 4-4.

Harding opens Great American Conference play this weekend with a three-game home series against Southern Nazarene. The games are currently scheduled to be played Friday and Saturday, weather pending.

Redshirt freshman Logan Lacey continued his outstanding start to the season with a 3-for-3 effort in the opener that included five RBIs. It was Lacey's fourth straight multi-hit game.

Senior Cody Smith was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, and Sebastian Martinez scored three times.

Junior Brian Hamilton (1-0) earned his first win at Harding, going four innings and allowing only one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts. Junior Max Milligan made his Harding debut with two scoreless innings of relief and sophomore Billy Johnston blanked Williams Baptist in the seventh.

Freshman Cooper Newsom laced an RBI double to right center to score redshirt freshman Nathan Bowie with the first run of game two. Newsom then scored on sophomore Hayden Pike's sacrifice fly.

After Williams Baptist scored in the top of the third, Harding pushed its lead to 3-1 when Logan Lacey hit his fourth double of the season and scored on senior Michael Dewald's single.

Williams Baptist cut the lead to 3-2 in the sixth, but Harding answered in the bottom of the inning when Bowie walked to lead off the inning and came around to score on sophomore pinch hitter Sebastian Martinez's infield chopper.

Freshman Luke Whaley earned his first collegiate save with a scoreless seventh inning.

Redshirt freshman Merritt Jay (1-0) won his Harding debut. He allowed only four hits and one earned run with three strikeouts in four innings.

Bowie and Newsom led the Harding offense with two hits each.


 
Gallery: (2-15-2023) 2023 Baseball vs. Williams Baptist - 1

 
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