RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The opening day of the 2024 Great American Conference Baseball Championships saw a pair of extra-inning wins for road teams and two come-from-behind wins by two of the league's co-champions.
(2) ARKANSAS TECH vs (7) OUACHITA BAPTIST - SERIES TIED, 1-1
Game 2 - Arkansas Tech 7, Ouachita Baptist 5
In the second game, Ouachita once more got on the board first with a leadoff home run in the top of the first. That score held until the top of the fourth inning when the Tigers plated a run to take a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Ouachita pushed their lead out to four runs with two runs. The Wonder Boys finally had an offensive answer in their half of the sixth as they scored twice on the strength of three hits and one Ouachita error.
Markos Cabranes led the inning off with an infield single to third and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Grant Jones would drive in Cabranes on a single up the middle. After the first out was made, Jones got to third base in the next at-bat on an errant pickoff attempt of him at first base. That set the stage for Nick Jones to cash in the run-scoring opportunity with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Ouachita tacked on a run in the top of the seventh on a solo home run, to go up 5-2. The Wonder Boys, however, had the counterpunch in their half, this time scoring three runs on two hits and one Ouachita error to tie the game at 5-all.
Cole Dawson got the inning going with a one-out walk. Cabranes followed with a hit-by-pitch. Dawson scored in the next at-bat as Grant Jones reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop. On that play, the throw on the back half of a potential double play was errant, allowing Jones to get to second and Dawson to score. Logan Schwenke was then intentionally walked, but on the next pitch, that decision was made to hurt as Nick Jones singled through the right side, scoring Grant Jones and making it a one-run game.
Christian Olea then game through with the game-tying RBI on a single through the left side of the infield.
The Tigers were retired in order in the top of the eighth, and the momentum for the Wonder Boys continued in the bottom of the frame as they grabbed their first lead of the day with two runs in the inning.
Once more an error by Ouachita helped the Wonder Boys as Shane Poe reached with one out on a throwing error by the Tigers' third baseman. Once on base, Poe was pinch-ran for by Brandon Bunton. Cole Dawson then came up with the big hit as he doubled sharply into left-centerfield, scoring Bunton all the way from first base. Cabranes then made it a two-run lead for Tech in the next at-bat with a single through the right side.
The Tigers would make things interesting in the top of the ninth as they had the potential tying run on base, but Tech closer Mason Griffin was able to shut the door with no runs scoring to give Tech the needed win.
Game 1 - Ouachita Baptist 9, Arkansas Tech 7 (11)
In game one, the Tigers led off the game with four straight hits, including back-to-back RBI singles from Michael Quinones and Cade Burris. Quinones struck again in the sixth with a solo home run to put Ouachita up 3-1. Wesley Scott hit a two-run double later in the sixth to make it 5-1.
In the ninth, the Tigers loaded the bases and then went up 6-2 on a walk by Burris. The Wonder Boys responded with a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras.
After a scoreless tenth inning, Tallon Heine drove in the go-ahead run by beating out an infield single to set up a two-run single from Wesley Scott to finalize the scoring.
The Wonder Boys had two runners on and the potential tying run at the plate when Cameron Marchant was called on mid at-bat to then strike out Tech's Grant Jones to end the game. It was Marchant's second save of the season. Tag Pacot (5-2) earned the win in relief, holding the Wonder Boys scoreless on two hits with two strikeouts in 1.2 inning of work.
Quinones finished game one 3-for-5. Dustin Bermudez and Wesley Scott each had two hits.
(3) HARDING vs (6) NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE - BISONS LEAD 1-0
Game 1 - Harding 10, Northwestern Oklahoma State 7
Harding erased a four-run deficit, got hitting contributions from all nine starters, and defeated Northwestern Oklahoma 10-7 on Friday in the first game of a best-of-three Great American Conference series.
Harding (34-15) trailed 6-2 entering the bottom of the sixth, but put up five big runs to take a 7-6 lead. The Bisons had five hits in the inning, including RBI singles from Coulton Doyle, Nathan Bowie and Michael Dewald. Ty Kirkbride scored Doyle on a perfect sac bunt, and Logan Lacey drove in a run with a sac fly.
After yielding a game-tying solo home run in the top of the seventh, Harding reliever Javier Lobo (7-1) slammed the door on the Rangers.
Harding retook the lead with three runs in the seventh, beginning with a solo home run from Sebastian Martinez, his eighth of the season. Ty Kirkbride scored a run with a line drive single to right, and Lacey added a two-out RBI single to right.
For the game, Harding went 6-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 7-for-15 with four RBIs with two outs.
Lacey was 2-for-4 with a run and three RBIs, including a solo home run to open the scoring in the first. It was his third homer of the season. He extended his team-leading hitting streak to 13 games.
Dewald went 3-for-5, his team-leading seventh game this season with three or more hits.
Lobo allowed only the home run and struck out three over the final three innings to earn the win in relief of Harding starter Maddox Long. Other than one inning, Long was solid for the Bisons and struck out eight with no walks to tie Phill Gisel as Harding's career strikeout leader with 257. Long's eight strikeouts tied the most ever by a Harding pitcher in a GAC Tournament game.
(4) HENDERSON STATE vs (5) SOUTHERN ARKANSAS - MULERIDERS LEAD 1-0
Game 1 - Southern Arkansas 6, Henderson State 5 (11)
Will Richardson deposited a one-out pitch in the visiting-half of the eleventh inning over the left field wall for a 6-5 Southern Arkansas lead and Isaiah Haynes put the finishing touches on a collectively solid 5.2 innings of relief work from three-different arms as the Muleriders defeated Henderson State to claim game one of the Great American Conference best-of-3 series on Friday night from Clyde Berry Field.
Richardson's eighth home run of the season, the 58th hit by the Muleriders in 2024, was the highlight of a three-hit day for the senior. He finished with three RBI to lead SAU. Chris Lyles recorded three hits and a run scored. The two sides struck out a combined 29 times and each left a baker's dozen on the base paths.
Scoring opened for the Muleriders in the third inning as SAU answered a three-run Henderson State second on a Clay Burrows right field homer which plated Lyles, before Richardson doubled down the left field line scoring both Trace Shoup and Brandon Nicoll giving SAU a 4-3 advantage. All four runs scored via two outs.
That lead was cushioned in the fourth as Mikey McGinnis homered for the seventh time this season putting the Muleriders up 5-3. Henderson State responded with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings on Kaden Argenbright RBI singles into left field.
Both teams stranded the bases loaded in the ninth inning with HSU's Payton Byrd working through a two-out jam and Sean Sieve relieving Nate June with two outs in the frame and then pitching around a single and hit-by-pitch before retiring Luke Farrar swinging to force bonus baseball.
Jeremy Adorno went 5.1 innings allowing five hits, five runs, three walks with six strikeouts. June tossed 3.1 innings in relief facing just two over the minimum with four strikeouts. Sieve pitched a frame and Haynes tossed the final 1.1 to earn his third win of the season. In the 11th, the senior collected two quick outs, walked the third batter and then gassed up the fourth hitter to the plate after falling behind 2-0 in the count.