RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The second day of the 2024 Great American Conference Baseball Championships saw Harding and Southern Arkansas secure trips to the four-team double elimination portion of the championships in North Little Rock and Arkansas-Monticello grab the opening game against Oklahoma Baptist. Weather wreaked havoc across Arkansas as the Weevils and Bison suspended game two in the sixth inning while Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist only played three-and-a-half innings of their rubber match.
(4) HENDERSON STATE vs (5) SOUTHERN ARKANSAS - MULERIDERS WIN 2-0
Game 2 - Southern Arkansas 7, Henderson State 4
All six of Southern Arkansas' hits went for extra bases and all seven runs crossed in either the sixth or seventh innings as the Muleriders rallied to knock off host No. 4 Henderson State in the opening round series of the Great American Conference Championships.
Mikel Howell earned his league-leading ninth win of the season after tossing 6.2 innings scattering nine hits and three walks. HSU plated three runs in the home half of the first inning off of Howell, but the lengthy right-hander would allow only four more hits, none of which went for extra bases, over the next 5.2 innings. He retired nine-straight Reddie batters from the second through fifth innings.
Micah Burke, in just his fourth appearance of the season and first since March 29, relieved Howell with the bases loaded in the seventh and proceeded to fan Luke Rice to end the threat and keep the Muleriders' lead intact. Austin Adair worked the final two innings pitching around two baserunners in the eight and limiting a leadoff double in the ninth.
Brandon Nicoll jumpstarted Southern Arkansas in the sixth with a two-out, two-run home run out to center field, his 13th of the season and 10th multi-RBI game, to cut into the Reddies' lead at 3-2. Trace Shoup walked, his 20th straight game to reach base safely, to set the table for Nicoll. That momentum from that blast carried over into the pre-stretch seventh as the Muleriders orchestrated a five-run frame on three hits and a throwing error which led off the inning.
Jaden Woolbright reached on the miscue to start the seventh, advanced to second on a free pass to Grant Roosma and the pair were promptly chased home as Mikey McGinnis doubled down the left field line to give the Muleriders a 4-3 lead. The lead would not be relinquished, but Southern Arkansas continued to supply run support as Jackson Duke doubled to put runners at second and third. Chris Lyles followed with a double off the wall scoring McGinnis and Duke and putting SAU up 6-3. The seventh run crossed in the next at bat as Clay Burrows lifted a pitch to centerfield to score Lyles who advanced to third on the throw in his at bat.
Half of SAU's hits and five of the seven runs were produced in that seventh inning, while Nicoll's blast in the sixth accounted for one more hit and SAU's other two runs in the contest. The lone base knock not to occur for the Muleriders in the sixth or seventh inning came off the bat of Roosma with one out in the fifth inning.
(3) HARDING vs (6) NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE - BISONS WIN 2-0
Game 2 - Harding 2, Northwestern Oklahoma State 4
Throughout Harding's Great American Conference Tournament game on Saturday against Northwestern Oklahoma, the Bisons grappled with delivering the decisive hit in crucial moments. They left two runners on base in the second, third, seventh, and eighth innings. However, everything took a turn in the ninth inning.
Drew McNeel kickstarted the inning with a walk. Ty Kirkbride successfully executed a two-strike bunt to advance him to second base, setting the stage for Nathan Bowie. Bowie ignited a long-awaited celebration with a single to right field, bringing McNeel home and sealing a 2-1 victory. This win propels Harding to the GAC Championship Tournament later this week at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
This victory marked the second win in the best-of-three series, following Harding's 10-7 triumph in the opener on Friday. Although Saturday's game was scheduled for 1 p.m., it commenced more than four and a half hours later due to prolonged lightning and over two hours of field preparation. Adding to the challenges, the game began without power in the stadium due to an outage on the south side of Harding's campus. Despite these delays and potential excuses for subpar play, both teams delivered an entertaining performance.
The pitching from both sides was exceptional. Harding's starter, Davis Welch, entered the game with a strategy to keep the ball dry. Over eight innings, Welch struck out eight batters and induced 15 ground ball outs. Only one of his 24 outs resulted from a fly ball, which was an infield popup. Northwestern managed to score only one run in the sixth inning, but Welch effectively minimized the damage. He retired the next six batters before allowing a single to lead off the ninth inning.
Griffin Meeker, the sidewinding reliever, entered the game and induced a double-play grounder just four pitches later, concluding the inning with a slow roller to McNeel at second base. This set the stage for Bowie's heroic performance in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Meeker secured the win, improving his record to 6-1. With this victory, Harding's overall record advanced to 35-15, marking the second-highest win total in an HU single season, trailing only the 42 wins achieved by the 2011 NCAA regional team.
(1) ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO vs (8) OKLAHOMA BAPTIST - WEEVILS WIN 1-0
Game 1 - Arkansas-Monticello 14, Oklahoma Baptist 1 (7)
Arkansas-Monticello scored four times in the second inning an five times in the third to cruise to a 14-1 series-opening victory against Oklahoma Baptist.
Parker Dorrance and Chaz Poppy each collected three hits. Dorrance doubled and drove in two runs. Poppy hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs. Cade Cancilla and Aidan Garrett also tallied three RBI. Garrett hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning. Roc Hawthorne scored three times.
Connor Irvine picked up his eighth victory of the season. He struck out six and held the Bison to only four hits.