Box Score

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Down 11-9 with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the bases loaded, senior shortstop David Harris crushed a 1-2 pitch for a walk-off grand slam out to straight-away left field as he gave the No. 17 Southern Arkansas Muleriders a thrilling 13-11 win over the No. 28 Harding Bisons on Friday night in Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field.
 
In that inning, William Townsend got the rally going as he drew a one-out walk. A pitching change would follow and in the next at-bat Jason Dahl singled through the right side of the infield. The bases would then be loaded as Chris Quinn reached first base on a fielder's choice. After taking a first pitch for a ball, Harris looked at called strike and then fouled off consecutive breaking balls as he faced a 1-2 count. Harding's relief pitcher Bronson Smith then tried a third straight breaking ball, but it would hang and Harris did not miss as he belted the game-winner to left field.   
 
The dramatic and no-doubt blast from Harris capped off an incredible comeback effort by the Muleriders (17-8, 11-2 GAC) as they rallied from sizeable deficits of 6-0 and 9-3 before the eventual heroics of Harris.
 
The comeback march by the Muleriders started in the bottom of the third when they platted their first run of the game after falling behind 6-0 over the first two and a half innings of play. The Bisons (13-6, 6-4 GAC) were able to build that 6-0 lead after scoring five runs on six hits in the first inning and adding a run on three hits in the third.
 
After starter James Baune pitched a scoreless top of the fourth inning, Dahl gave the Muleriders two more runs in the bottom of the frame as he doubled to left field to score Ryan Bell and Brady Capshaw. The Dahl two-RBI double brought the Muleriders to within three runs, 6-3.
 
The Bisons responded in the next half inning, however, as they added three more runs off of Baune to extend their lead back out to six runs, 9-3. The Muleriders got one of those runs back in the bottom of the frame when Capshaw drove in Ryan Dardenne. Cory Roper, who come on in relief of Baune, started the sixth inning and tossed a zero to keep the score 9-4 in favor of Harding.  
 
Now trailing by five runs, the Muleriders put their most serious offensive threat together in the bottom of the sixth inning as they scored four runs and pulled the game to within a run, 9-8. In that inning, Quinn had a RBI single and Philip Menou added a sacrifice fly, but the big hit of the rally was a two-run triple to right-centerfield off the bat of Dardenne.
 
A throwing error by the Bisons' shortstop in the bottom of the seventh inning allowed Bell to score the tying run as a 9-3 Harding lead in the fifth turned into a 9-all tie in the seventh. Despite the six-run comeback of the Muleriders, the Bisons maintained a lead heading into the final inning as they scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
 
These two teams will be back at tomorrow in Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field as they will conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader starting at 2:00 p.m.