Written By Nic Fraraccio//Photo by Jeff Montgomery
The Lady Bisons kicked off their season two weeks ago with five straight wins at the Mardi Gras Invitational in Lafayette, Louisiana. Harding produced a historic weekend in the Bayou State, which included two ranked wins against No. 7 Augustana College and No. 12 Mississippi College.
The Lady Bisons also picked up victories against the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Miles College and Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
The 2-1 victory against No. 7 Augustana College was Harding’s first victory against a top-10 opponent since 2023. Senior outfielder Macy Ham walked off the Vikings with her RBI double in the 8th inning.
Ham said she was seeing the ball well going into the at-bat.
“The pitcher was really good, but I was able to burn the centerfielder,” Ham said. “That is probably the furthest ball I have ever hit — it felt great.”
Senior infielder Emma Curry, who kickstarted the weekend with a grand slam against the University of Alabama in Huntsville, said the team has shown “devotion to get better.”
“Everyone has fully bought in so far this season,” Curry said. “It is humbling to see — it makes me feel better as a player knowing we have the same goal.”
In the circle, the Harding pitching staff controlled the pace of the games. Senior Riley Price, redshirt freshman Brooklyn Gobble and freshman Avery Booker combined for a .90 ERA. Furthermore, Booker produced a no-hitter in a 20-0 victory over Miles College. It was the fifth no-hitter in program history.
Junior infielder Zoey Neal said the pitchers have settled several games for the Lady Bisons.
“I think all of our pitching staff can go in at any time and shut the game down,” Neal said.
Last weekend, the Lady Bisons entered tournament action yet again — this time in Bentonville, Arkansas, at the Alvy Early/UAM Softball Classic.
Harding won four of its five matchups to improve to 9-1 on the season. The victories came against Newman University, University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Central Missouri and Upper Iowa University.
During another successful weekend, the Lady Bisons found themselves in the history books.
The team broke a school record for hits in a single game during their 18-1 victory against the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The 20-hit performance was fueled by a pinch-hit grand slam in the second inning by freshman utility player Emaline Pearson.
Neal also tacked on two hits, including a three-run home run in the fourth inning. Neal said any player can make an impact for the Lady Bisons.
“All of us were good offensively,” Neal said. “Anyone can come in and hit for us.”
The hot start has boosted the confidence of the players and coaches for the Harding softball team. Ham said the beginning of the season has been a “confirmation” of the teams’ talents.
“This is the best team I have ever been on,” Ham said. “Everything has just felt very under control.”
The Lady Bisons will continue their season today at the NCAA Division II Battle in Branson, Missouri, against Maryville University and McKendree University.
