MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Senior Brooklyn Gobble turned in a marathon performance in the circle Thursday, bouncing back from a hard-luck loss in the opener to throw 5.1 innings of shutdown relief and earn the victory as Harding split a doubleheader with No. 11 Southern Arkansas at Dawson Field.
The Lady Bisons (21-13, 16-4 GAC) dropped a narrow 3-1 decision in the opener before rallying for a 5-3 victory in the second game. The split allows Harding to keep pace at the top of the Great American Conference standings heading into tomorrow's series finale.
Game 1: Southern Arkansas 3, Harding 1
The opener featured a premier pitching duel between Gobble and SAU's Emma Duncan. Junior Zoey Neal provided the highlight for Harding, launching a solo home run down the left field line in the top of the third. It was Neal's team-leading sixth home run of the season and briefly gave the Lady Bisons a 1-0 lead.
Southern Arkansas answered in the bottom of the fourth with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to take a lead they would not relinquish.
Gobble (13-8) took the hard-luck loss despite a gritty outing, allowing just one earned run on six hits over six innings. Harding out-hit the Muleriders 6-5 in the contest but was unable to find the timely hit with runners in scoring position.
Game 2: Harding 5, Southern Arkansas 3
In a contest plagued by 10 combined errors, Harding trailed 2-0 early before chipping away. The Lady Bisons broke through in the fifth inning when Bailey Willis reached on an error and scored on a Bailey Robinson groundout to trim the lead to 2-1.
The turning point came in a chaotic four-run sixth inning where the Lady Bisons capitalized on three Mulerider errors. Alexis Boswell tied the game with an RBI single scoring Cameron Timmons. Logan Ringel then gave Harding a 4-2 lead with an RBI single to third base. Robinson capped the rally with a bunt single that allowed Baylee McGregor to cross the plate, pushing the lead to 5-2.
Gobble (13-8) entered the circle in the second inning with the bases loaded and two outs, immediately inducing a groundout to escape the threat. She dominated the rest of the way, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out five in a gritty relief performance.
Up Next
The Lady Bisons will look to win the series Friday in the rubber match. First pitch in Magnolia is scheduled for 1 p.m.
