SEARCY – Harding baseball battled uphill from the fourth inning on Tuesday in a non-conference matchup with Union (Tennessee) University before falling 6-5 to the Bulldogs at Jerry Moore Field.
Harding (3-7) has not won in four games at home this season, but three of the four games were one-run losses. Union, a member of the Gulf South Conference, improved to 11-1 overall and remained undefeated in eight road games.
Trailing 6-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, Harding used two Union errors and a hit batter to load the bases with no outs. Following a strikeout, Harding's Chris Taylor hit a hard ground ball up the middle that looked ticketed for center field. Union second baseman Austin Orr dove to his right and scrambled up to get a force out at second. Union shortstop Caleb Demarigny tried to complete the double play and end the game, but his throw to first was wild.
Brooks Pitaniello scored from third on the play, and Ben Brauss came around from second to score on the bad throw, pulling Harding within a run. Taylor stole second but was stranded there as Union closer Ryne Roper picked up a strikeout to end the game.
Harding stranded nine runners in the game and was 2-for-19 with runners on base. Union was 6-for-18 with runners on.
Union extended a one-run lead to 6-3 in the top of the ninth. David Robins singled with the bases loaded, scoring Zach Phillips from third. Hayden Lewis scored from second on the hit after a misplay in center field.
After a scoreless first three innings, Union took a 1-0 lead on a Zach Wylie ground out that scored Tyler Mauzy, who singled to lead off the inning.
Lewis, who was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs, hit a two-run home run to right in the fifth to give Union at 3-0 lead.
Harding answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth on Grant Guest's bloop double that scored Brauss from second. Guest was 3-for-3, his team-leading third three-hit game of the season and fifth multi-hit game.
Harding made it 3-2 in the sixth on Jesse Cox's pinch-hit single through the left side, the Bisons' first hit in seven at-bats from pinch hitters this season.
Lewis had another RBI single in the seventh to move Union's lead to 4-2. Luke Van Dover led off the eighth with a single and scored on Connor Kelly's ground out to pull the Bisons within a run.
Freshman Sam Alender (0-1) started and pitched well despite receiving the loss. He allowed three earned runs in five innings, throwing 33 of his 56 pitches for strikes. Harding used four relievers, three giving up a run each. Matt Brashear pitched a scoreless eighth.
Union reliever Skyler Harrison (1-0) entered in the bottom second and pitched 4 2/3 innings of relief to earn the win. He allowed one earned run and struck out three. Roper pitched the ninth and collected his first save.
Harding returns to Jerry Moore Field this weekend to host last season's Great American Conference regular season champion Southwestern Oklahoma. The series begins Friday at 2 p.m. and concludes Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.
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