BETHANY, Okla. – Collin Helms homered in the ninth inning and Josiah Binford slammed the door on a late rally as Harding baseball completed a three-game sweep of Southern Nazarene with a 9-8 victory on Saturday.
The win keeps the Bisons (27-16, 20-10 GAC) firmly in third place in the Great American Conference standings heading into the final week of the regular season. Southern Nazarene fell to 9-36 overall and 1-29 in conference play.
Harding pounded out 17 hits, including home runs from Nathan Bowie, Phoenix West, and Helms. First baseman Jack Opoien anchored the lineup, going 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
The Bisons trailed 6-4 entering the late stages but surged ahead with a three-run eighth inning. After a Southern Nazarene error allowed two runs to score, Logan Lacey doubled down the left-field line to drive in Bowie for a 7-6 lead.
Helms provided much-needed breathing room in the top of the ninth with a solo shot to right field, his second hit of the day. Ryder Rutledge followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 9-7.
The Crimson Storm didn't go quietly in the bottom of the ninth, scoring once and putting two runners on with two outs. Binford entered from the bullpen and struck out Ryder Scheib to end the threat, earning his fourth save of the season.
Keaton Baird (3-1) picked up the win in relief, navigating 1.1 innings. Lane Benevides took the loss for the Crimson Storm, who out-hit the Bisons 14-11 in the middle innings but committed three costly errors.
Harding returns to Searcy for a non-conference game against Delta State on Tuesday. First pitch at Jerry Moore Field is scheduled for 5 p.m.
The Bisons will then turn their attention to a massive final GAC series beginning Friday, April 24, at home against second-place Arkansas Tech. The series will have significant implications for seeding in the upcoming conference tournament.
