SEARCY, Ark. — Harding staged a late rally to beat Delta State 11-8 on Tuesday afternoon at Jerry Moore Field. The win improves Harding’s record to 28-16, while Delta State drops to 26-17, according to school officials.
Delta State took an early lead. Landon Holliman singled, stole third and scored on Levi Lang’s RBI single in the first inning. Harding responded with two runs in the bottom half on RBI hits from Cooper Newsom and Collin Helms to go up 2-1.
The Statesmen tied the game in the second when Holliman delivered another RBI single, scoring Tyler Otts. Both teams were scoreless through the next two innings. In the fifth, Delta State took the lead with a three-run frame. Cade Greer and Walker Maranto scored on Harding errors, and Austin Batts crossed home on a throwing error to give the visitors a 5-2 advantage.
Delta State added two more runs in the seventh on a two-run double from Henley Parker, extending the lead to 7-2. Harding responded immediately in the bottom half, with Logan Lacey hitting a solo homer and Helms adding a two-run blast to cut the deficit to 7-6.
The Bisons completed their comeback in the eighth. After tying the game on a wild pitch, Newsom doubled in two runs to give Harding an 9-7 lead. Helms capped the inning with his second home run, a two-run shot to right field, pushing the score to 11-7.
Delta State attempted a ninth-inning rally, with Parker driving in Greer on an RBI single. The Statesmen stranded the bases loaded, ending the game with an 11-8 score. Parker went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a double. Holliman also had two hits and two RBIs. Greer scored three times and reached base four times. Austin Estes added two hits, and Batts scored twice.
Gavin McCoy started for Delta State, allowing two runs over 4.2 innings with two strikeouts. The teams will meet again this weekend in a three-game series at Ferriss Field, beginning Friday at 6 p.m., as part of Gulf South Conference play.
