SEARCY, Ark. – After honoring its 14 seniors in a pregame ceremony, the Harding Bisons delivered a dominant performance at Jerry Moore Field on Friday, sweeping a doubleheader against Southern Nazarene and propelling themselves into a tie for first place in the Great American Conference standings. With decisive victories of 9-1 in game one and 8-0 in the nightcap, the Bisons now stand alongside Southern Arkansas atop the league with a 21-9 conference record with one weekend remaining in regular season play.
The opening contest saw Harding's offense explode for nine runs on twelve hits, providing ample support for senior right-hander Merritt Jay. Despite allowing nine hits himself, Jay pitched five effective innings, surrendering just one earned run while striking out four Crimson Storm batters to earn his seventh win of the season. Griffin Meeker then slammed the door over the final four frames, allowing only two hits and striking out two to secure his second save.
Harding's bats were hot right from the start. In the bottom of the first, after Logan Lacey laced a double to right-center and Collin Helms reached on an error, junior Kade Smith delivered a clutch two-run single through the right side, giving the Bisons an early 2-0 advantage.
The Bisons added three more runs in the second. Coulton Doyle led off with a single and promptly stole second. With two outs, Lacey drew a walk, and Helms was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Junior Cooper Newsom then delivered a momentum-swinging three-run double to right field, extending the lead to 5-0.
Southern Nazarene managed to push a run across in the top of the fifth, but Harding responded immediately in the bottom half. Helms doubled to left-center, and Newsom followed with an RBI single. Newsom then stole second and scored on an RBI single by Harrison Griffith, who advanced to second on a fielding error. Smith reached on another SNU error, allowing the eighth run to score.
The Bisons tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth. Pinch-runner Johnathan Jackson scored on a wild pitch after Sebastian Martinez was hit by a pitch, and Bowie followed with an RBI single to center field, making the final score 9-1.
Game two saw an equally impressive performance, this time fueled by a stellar outing from senior left-hander Preston Tabor. Tabor was masterful through 5.2 innings, scattering four hits and striking out four while keeping the Crimson Storm off the scoreboard. Kyle Lane pitched the final 1.1 innings, allowing two hits and striking out one to preserve the shutout, its GAC-leading sixth of the season.
The Harding offense once again provided early support. Bowie led off the bottom of the first with a single, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single by Lacey. Later in the inning, Newsom drove in Helms, who had tripled, with a groundout to shortstop, giving Harding a 2-0 lead.
Harding added another run in the third when Newsom doubled home Bowie, who had singled earlier in the frame. The fourth inning saw the Bisons extend their lead significantly. After Smith was hit by a pitch and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Ty Kirkbride, Doyle singled to put runners on the corners. Price walked to load the bases, and then Bowie delivered a two-run double down the right-field line. Lacey followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Price and pushing the lead to 6-0.
The Bisons added two more runs in the sixth. Kirkbride singled, and pinch-hitter Chance Resetich also singled. Bowie then laced his second double of the game, scoring Kirkbride. Lacey followed with a sacrifice fly, bringing Resetich home and capping off the 8-0 victory.
The doubleheader sweep marks a significant moment for the Bisons as they enter the final stretch of the regular season. Their tie for first place in the GAC sets the stage for an exciting conclusion to the conference race next weekend with a three-game series at Arkansas Tech.
The Bisons will take a brief break from conference play on Tuesday when they host Delta State in a nonconference matchup at Jerry Moore Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
