SEARCY, Ark. – The 28th-ranked Ouachita Baptist University baseball team split a pair of Gulf South Conference West Division games Sunday as the Tigers took the opener, 6-3, but fell in the second game, 3-2, to Harding at Jerry Moore Field.
In the first game, Ouachita (22-12 overall, 1-5 GSC West) scored a run in the top of the fourth, but exploded for two runs in the sixth to grab a 3-0 lead.
Drew Maus began the frame with a walk and moved to second on a Chris Gordon sacrifice bunt. Drew Wurzelbacher homered to give Ouachita a 3-0 advantage.
The Tigers added two more runs in the eighth as Wurzelbacher reached on a two-out single and Matt Burton reached on an infield hit. Brock Green was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Will Gowdy scored Wurzelbacher and Burton with a single to left.
Ouachita tacked on a run in the top of the ninth to take a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the frame, but Harding (17-16, 3-3) plated three runs before falling, 6-3.
Gowdy (7-0) went seven innings for the Tigers, scattering six hits while fanning seven. Zach Treece worked two innings of relief.
Brodie Brumley (2-3) took the loss, going 5 1/3 innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Shane Bishop and D.A. Kremer pitched in relief.
In the second contest, Ouachita struck for two runs in the top of the second inning.
Derek Dibbens struck out, but reached first on a wild pitch. Kevin Bird doubled to right-center to move Dibbens to third. Maus followed with a sacrifice fly to center to plate Dibbens. Blake Lockwood grounded out to second to advance Bird to third and after a walk to Wurzelbacher, Burton singled to left-center to score Bird to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
But the bottom of the seventh proved costly as Harding scored three runs on four hits to win the contest, 3-2.
Jarod Hershberger pitched six strong innings for Ouachita, giving up a run on seven hits with three strikeouts. Patrick Lemmond (1-2) took the loss, giving up two runs on two hits in 1/3 of an inning. Payne Spence and Sean O’Rourke also pitched in relief.
Kyle Cline (5-2) earned the victory by pitching a complete-game, six-hitter. He gave up a pair of runs with two walks and six strikeouts.
Ouachita returns to action with a 1:00 p.m., game Tuesday, March 24 at Rab Rodgers Field against North Alabama. The Tigers will return to Gulf South Conference West Division action at home on Saturday and Sunday, March 28 and 29 against rival Henderson State.
