After a sluggish start, the Harding University baseball team came back to defeat the University of Arkansas-Monticello (UAM) in its first conference game of the season on Feb. 16 at Jerry Moore Field. <\/p>\n
Senior pitcher Austin Allen struggled in the first inning, allowing a two-run home run, although not allowing another earned run for the rest of the game. Allen finished the game with four strikeouts over five innings. Head Coach Patrick McGaha said one of the major keys to the Bisons\u2019 success was Allen\u2019s ability to settle in after the early blast. <\/p>\n
Harding responded to UAM\u2019s strong first inning by scoring one run in each of the next four innings. In the fourth, the Bisons\u2019 sophomore catcher Brendan Perrett hit a double, putting him in scoring position. Junior infielder Connor Kelly followed with a double of his own, driving in Perrett. However, Kelly was called out for missing first base, and the Bisons chance for a big inning was gone. <\/p>\n
Harding held a 4-3 lead when Allen, who allowed three runs but only two of them earned, was replaced by junior pitcher Ryder Yakel in the sixth inning. Yakel stymied the Boll Weevil hitters, recording a total of five strikeouts in four innings. In three appearances this season, Yakel has thrown 12.0 innings and has yet to allow a run. His pitching preserved the Bisons\u2019 lead. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis win means a lot because they are a conference team,\u201d Yakel said. \u201cThey won the conference last year, so it\u2019s just a big win for the team.\u201d <\/p>\n
In the eighth inning, Harding was still hot, and they cushioned their lead with a hit to the warning track by sophomore infielder Luke Van Dover that scored Perrett. That lead was enough for Yakel, who shut down UAM in the top of the ninth, to preserve the Bisons\u2019 lead and earn him his second save of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great win,\u201d McGaha said. \u201cIt\u2019s always great to get a win to start the series.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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