Harding Tags East Central, Wins 6-5
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March 3, 2019
SEARCY – Harding junior third baseman Luke Van Dover scored the eventual winning run and prevented the tying run Saturday in the Bisons's 6-5 Great American Conference victory over East Central at Jerry Moore Field.
The victory gave Harding a 2-games-to-1 series victory and boosted the Bisons to 13-7 overall and 6-3 in the GAC. East Central fell to 3-16 overall and 3-6 in conference.
Van Dover walked to lead off the seventh inning and scored on Jack Thomas's single. It looked like an insurance run that gave Harding a 6-4 lead, but it proved to be the game-winner.
In the ninth, East Central's Ryan White reached on an error and scored on Dakota Washington's triple to left center that cut Harding's lead to a single run with no outs. East Central's Dylan Lang batted next and hit a hard grounder to Van Dover at third. Instead of making the throw to first, Van Dover tagged out Washington attempting to dive back into third base.
Two routine outs later, and Harding had its victory. Junior Ryder Yakel (1-0) allowed only the unearned run in the ninth and pitched four innings to earn his first win as a Bison.
The lead changed hands four times in the game, and Harding did not take the lead for good until the sixth when Thomas walked to lead off the inning and scored on Nolan Fertig's sacrifice fly.
Miles Humphreys continued his recent hot streak, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. He is 16-for-25 (.640) in his last seven games. Connor Kelly and Brendan Perrett also had two hits each.
Logan McCall got the start for the Bisons and went 4.0 innings, allowing three earned runs with three strikeouts. Kaden Kirby pitched the fifth before giving way to Yakel, who has pitched 18 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
East Central starter Jeffrey Shafer left after four innings, and Logan Lannon (0-3) pitched the next 1 1/3 innings in relief, giving up the go-ahead run in the sixth.
East Central had 11 hits, two each coming from Josh Lincoln, Drew Reed, Gage Wall and Hayden George.
Harding will be back in GAC action next weekend at Southeastern Oklahoma in Durant.
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