WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Despite a quality start from Kyle Lane and three different leads, the Harding baseball team fell 4-3 to Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday afternoon following a two-run rally by the Bulldogs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The loss marks the first conference defeat of the season for the Bisons (6-3, 3-1 GAC), who saw their perfect league record snapped at the hands of a walk-off single by SWOSU's Jaren Spoto.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Harding broke a scoreless tie in the third inning when Nathan Bowie singled and eventually scored on an RBI base hit by Phoenix West. The Bisons doubled their lead in the fourth as Easton Jones was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a Jack Opoien single up the middle.

Kyle Lane was dominant through the first five frames, but SWOSU (9-5, 2-2 GAC) found life in the sixth. A pair of wild pitches allowed two Bulldog runs to cross the plate, tying the game at 2-2.

Harding answered immediately in the seventh. Senior Logan Lacey singled and stole second, setting the stage for Cooper Newsom. The senior shortstop delivered a clutch two-out double to left-center, scoring Lacey to regain a 3-2 lead.

The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the ninth. After a leadoff single and a sacrifice, SWOSU pinch-hitter Kellen Frizzell tied the game with an RBI double. Two batters later, Spoto singled to left-center to drive in the winning run and end the contest.

STATS LEADERS

• Cooper Newsom: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI. Newsom now has 53 career doubles, leaving him just four shy of the school record.

• Nathan Bowie: 1-for-4, BB, R, SB. Bowie extended his remarkable on-base streak to 39 games.

• Logan Lacey: 1-for-4, R, SB. Lacey reached base for the ninth consecutive game to start the season.

• Kyle Lane: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Lane took a no-decision in his second consecutive quality start.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Streak Continues: Nathan Bowie's 39-game on-base streak is the longest by a Bison since the program joined the GAC.

• Milestone Movement: Logan Lacey's seventh-inning single was the 208th hit of his career. He now trails Adam Darby (2006-09) and David Butterfield (2018-22) by just four hits for 7th place on the all-time list.

• Aggression: The Bisons were a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts for the third consecutive game. Phoenix West led the way with two swipes.

• Lane's Workload: Today marked the second longest outing of the season for Kyle Lane. His season high remains the 6.2 innings he pitched in the GAC opener against Northwestern Oklahoma State.

• Double Plays: The Harding defense was sharp behind Lane, turning three double plays to escape jams in the first, fifth, and seventh innings.

UP NEXT

Harding and Southwestern Oklahoma State will conclude their three-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon at the Athletic Complex in Weatherford.