SEARCY, Ark. – Collin Helms homered twice and drove in five runs as No. 3-seeded Harding overcame a late deficit to defeat Delta State 11-8 on Tuesday night at Jerry Moore Field, extending the Bisons' winning streak to nine games.

Helms, who recently joined the 200-hit club, spearheaded a late-inning offensive explosion. With Harding trailing 5-2 in the seventh, Logan Lacey ignited the comeback with a solo home run to left field. Two batters later, Helms belted a two-run shot to right to tie the game.

The Bisons (28-16) broke the game open in the eighth against reliever Ryan Herbison (4-2). After Nathan Bowie and Lacey reached on singles, Cooper Newsom delivered a two-run double to give Harding the lead for good. Helms followed immediately with his second two-run home run of the night, a towering blast to right field that capped a five-run frame.

Lacey finished 3-for-5 and made history in the process. By reaching safely in the first inning, he tied the school record for consecutive games reaching base at 44, matching the mark set by Myles Humphries. The senior third baseman also moved closer to the 400-career total base milestone, finishing the night just three shy of the mark.

Delta State (26-17) took advantage of three Harding errors to build a 5-2 lead in the fifth inning. Henley Parker led the Statesmen with three RBIs, including a two-run double in the seventh that briefly pushed the lead back to three.

Josiah Binford (1-0) earned the win in relief, striking out three over the final two innings. Despite allowing a run in the ninth, Binford escaped a bases-loaded jam by inducing a flyout from pinch-hitter Bo Rock to end the game.

Harding starter CJ Ricaurte went three innings in a no-decision, allowing two runs on five hits. The Bisons' defense struggled early, committing three errors which led to three unearned runs for the Statesmen.

The victory marks Harding's fifth win in their last seven meetings against Delta State, a program that historically holds a 44-12 edge in the series.

MILESTONE WATCH:

• Logan Lacey: Tied the school record with 44 straight games reaching base. He is now 3 total bases away from 400.

• Cooper Newsom: Drove in three runs, bringing his season total to 63—just one shy of tying the school single-season record (64).

• Nathan Bowie: Stole his 16th base of the season and scored twice; he is now 6 hits away from 200 for his career.

• Team: Harding, which entered the night with 100 stolen bases, added one more to its record-breaking season total.

Harding returns to Great American Conference play this weekend, hosting Arkansas Tech for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m.