Tweet #theGAC  ENID, Okla. – Harding eliminated rival Arkansas Tech from the 2019 Great American Conference Baseball Championships as the Bisons won a high-scoring affair, 13-10, in 10 innings, on Monday night from David Allen Memorial Ballpark.
 
The Bisons (33-20) scored three runs in the top of the 10^th inning. Eric Hansen, who went 3-for-3 off the bench, doubled to the start the inning. Cody Smith entered the game as a runner for Hansen. He scored the eventual winning run on a Nolan Fertig ground out. Jack Thomas scored after an Arkansas Tech (29-23) error and Connor Kelly tallied his fourth hit of the night to drive home Brendan Perrett.
 
One day after Ryder Yakel, the GAC Newcomer of the Year, threw 3.2 innings of relief against Southern Arkansas, he pitched 4.0 perfect innings to earn his seventh win of the season. He struck out five to lower his ERA to 1.32.
 
After allowing two runs to the Bisons in the top of the first, Arkansas Tech put up six runs in the bottom of the third inning. Seven straight Wonder Boys reached base to start the inning. Harry Gard and Zack Kesterson each drove in two in the frame.
 
Harding started its comeback with three runs in the top of the fourth. Kelly delivered a run-scoring single and David Butterfield hit a two-run home run to left center. Tech scored once in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-5 lead only to see the Bisons even the contest in the top of the fifth on a Miles Humphreys single and a Kelly double.
 
Tech responded with three runs of its own in its half of the fifth inning. Following a Korey Thompson sacrifice fly, Jonathon Arrieta hammered a two-run home to left center.
 
After a sixth inning that saw neither side score for the first inning since the second, Harding again tied the contest when it struck for three runs in the seventh. Luke Van Dover homered to start the rally. With two out, Ben Brauss doubled home Butterfield and Hansen singled in Brauss. Harding went 11-for-21 with two out during the game while Arkansas Tech went just 2-for-11.
 
Kelly finished 4-for-6 with three RBI and two runs scored. Brauss matched Hansen with three hits and he tallied three RBI. Gard and Kesterson each knocked out three hits for the Wonder Boys.
 
The high scoring affair represented just the third game in GAC Championship history in which both teams reached double figures and the first time since Southern Arkansas beat Ouachita, 15-10, on May 4, 2014.
 
The Bisons face Arkansas-Monticello in Tuesday’s first contest. Action begins at noon. The winner moves to the final to take on Oklahoma Baptist.