ENID, Okla. - The second day of 2014 Great American Conference Baseball Championship opened with top seed Arkansas Tech remaining alive after a 16-3 victory against Southwestern Oklahoma State. In game two, Southern Arkansas slugged its way past Ouachita Baptist. In the finale, Harding shut out Arkansas-Monticello to assure itself a spot in Championship Tuesday.
#4 HARDING 2, #2 ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO 0 || BOX SCORE ||
Harding moved into the driver's seat of the Great American Conference Baseball Championship by shutting out Arkansas-Monticello, 5-0, in Sunday's nightcap from David Allen Memorial Ballpark.
The Bisons (28-22) broke the scoreless contest by scratching out two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. With two out, Josh Chapman blooped a base hit to right field to bring home Noah Chandler with the first run. The next hitter, Trent Wooldridge dribbled a grounder up the right side. UAM first baseman Bronson Gillam could not handle the toss from Zach Midnight, allowing the second run to cross the plate.
Harding added three insurance runs an inning later. Victor Guerra singled home James Anderson then Zack Stewart laid down a successful sacrifice bunt. Chapman singled through the left side to drive home Guerra with the final run of the night.
Collin Campbell, a Second-Team All-GAC pitcher, threw seven scoreless frames to earn his ninth victory in 11 decisions. He allowed only four hits and struck out six. Andrew Fiddler threw two scorless innings to earn his third saves. Offensively, Chapman led the way with three hits and two RBI from the No. 9 spot.
Arkansas-Monticello (34-14) must turn around and take on No. 6 Ouachita Baptist in Monday's first game, set for noon. The loser will be eliminated. Harding, the lone remaining undefeated team at the tournament will play in Monday's nightcap, set for 7 p.m. The Bisons, who have assured themselves a place in "Championship Tuesday" will face the winner between the Tigers and Boll Weevils.
#3 SOUTHERN ARKANSAS 15, #6 OUACHITA BAPTIST 10 || BOX SCORE ||
Southern Arkansas exploded for eight runs in the fifth inning as the two-tIme GAC Tournament champion Muleriders staved off elimination by handing Ouachita Baptist its first loss of the tournament, a 15-10 victory for SAU from David Allen Memorial Ballpark.
After the Muleriders (35-17) established a 3-1 lead through four innings, Justin Buchanan, opened the floodgates on the eight-run fifth inning as he cleared the bases with a double down the left-field line to score three and build the SAU lead to 7-1. Later in the frame, GAC Freshman of the Trevor Rucker drilled an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left for a two-run home run.
Ouachita Baptist (25-27) staged a rally beginning in the sixth inning. Jace Melby slugged a home run to cut the deficit to 12-4. Two innings later, Landon Moore poked a grand slam over the wall in left to bring the Tigers to within five, 15-10.
After allowing the grand slam, SAU reliever Jared Webb settled down by striking out the final two batters of the inning. In the ninth, Webb induced a game-ending double play. Timothy Buchanan improved to 7-3 after pitching into the eighth inning. He struck out five and walked only one.
Five from SAU drove in at least two runs in the contest. Buchanan and William Townsend each drove in three runs. Rucker, Tyler Cameron, and Ryan Dardenne all drove in two runs.
The Muleriders will face top seed Arkansas Tech at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Ouachita Baptist will take on the loser of tonight's Harding and Arkansas-Monticello contest at noon.
#1 ARKANSAS TECH 16, #5 SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE 3 || BOX SCORE ||
One day after seeing its school-record 22-game win streak come to an end, Arkansas Tech exploded for 23 hits in a 16-3 victory against Southwestern Oklahoma State in Sunday's first elimination game.
The Wonder Boys (42-9) started early as Jay Johnson delivered a two-out single in the first inning to produce two runs. The offense really started clicking in the third inning thanks to contributions from the bottom of the order. Keenan Jumper produced the third run of the game with a single. James Sharp, the No. 9 hitter, followed with a grand slam over wall in left to push the lead out to 7-1.
Arkansas Tech produced a second five-run frame in the fifth inning. Eight straight batters reached safely during the rally. The offensive outburst proved more than enought for Wonder Boy starter Mason Reynolds. He improved to 8-0 with a 132-pitch complete game.
Chance Scamardo tied a tournament single-game record by collecting five base hits. He finished 5-for-7 with a double and an RBI. In total, seven Wonder Boys recorded multi-hit games. Sage Boehner went 4-for-5 from the lead-off position. Johnson and Sharp each batted in four runs. The Wonder Boys' 23 hits established a GAC Championship single-game record, previously held by Arkansas-Monticello with 20 against SWOSU exactly one year ago.
Brandon Ruiz led SWOSU (25-23) with a pair of base hits, including a solo home run in the first inning. Ethan Davis started and took the loss to drop to 9-4
The Wonder Boys will play at 3:30 p.m. on Monday with an opponent to be determined. If Ouachita Baptist beats Southern Arkansas in Sunday's 4 p.m. game, Arkansas Tech will face the loser of Harding and Arkansas-Monticello. If the Muleriders prevail, the SAU and Tech will face each other.