SEARCY, Ark. – SWOSU Baseball was winless in two tries against Harding on Sunday, falling to the Bisons 7-2 and 9-1.
The Bulldogs will attempt to avoid the sweep tomorrow (Monday, Feb. 24) at 1:00 at Jerry Moore Field.
Game One
Harding 7, SWOSU 2
A six-run fifth inning doomed SWOSU in game one. The Bulldogs trailed 1-0 after the fourth before Harding chased pitcher
Philip Sanders (L, 2-2) with seven hits in the frame including an RBI triple and a two-run home run.
Gage Gaunt got two runs back in the visitor half of the seventh with a two-RBI single. Gaunt drove in
Bodi Wallar and
Markus Coronado who both singled prior. The scoring was produced against a Harding relief pitcher who began the seventh inning in place starting pitcher Maddox Long who had struck out 10 in six innings.
The Dawgs would not produce any other scoring in the contest and finished with six hits to Harding's 11.
Sebastian Diaz (2.2 IP) and
Sawyer Rolland (1.0 IP) did not allow a run in four combined innings of relief.
Game Two
Harding 9, SWOSU 1
Another big inning in the nightcap hurt the Dawgs.
SWOSU led 1-0 after the first inning thanks to an RBI single from
Markus Coronado.
The lead changed hands in the third when Harding plated two runs. Walks and wild pitches started the inning, and the Bisons used an RBI single to then grab the lead. With one run already across on the hit,
Campbell Sullivan cut down Harding's second would-be run on the play with a throw from left field which ended the frame.
The game broke open an inning later when Harding scored seven runs, capped off by a grand slam with two outs after a pitching change. The Bisons cashed in on three walks and added three hits to produce more runs.
Drew Fifer (L, 1-1) suffered the loss in 3.2 innings of work. He struck out four but walked five, with another hit by pitch and three wild pitches. Ayden page (2.1 IP) finished the game in relief.
SWOSU managed one hit – a double by
Gage Gaunt in the sixth – from the third inning on and finished with just three hits in the game.
Connor Jeffers also doubled.