Box Score SEARCY, AR  —  Missouri S&T jumped in front early and kept pressure on the bases, but Harding's six-run fourth inning proved decisive as the Miners fell to the Bisons 8-3.

The Miners grabbed the early momentum in the second inning. After Aiden Cizek (Wildwood, MO/Lafayette) reached on a passed ball, a single by Jackson Evans (Overland Park, KS/Olathe North) moved him into scoring position, allowing him to score two at bats later on an RBI by Nick Hooper (Grain Valley, MO/Grain Valley). Jackson Yerkes (Rossford, OH/Rossford) kept the Bisons scoreless for the first two innings, striking out two in the first batters faced.

Harding eventually answered though, scoring six in the fourth. Five consecutive singles started the inning for Harding, building a 2-1 lead. Drew Timp (Kirkwood, MO/Kirkwood) stepped in with bases loaded and no outs. He gave up three singles as the host team moved ahead 6-1, but got out of the inning on a double play against the sixth batter he faced.

The Miners recorded singles in the fifth and sixth innings, getting a pair of runners into scoring position before Harding got out of the innings. The Bisons extended their lead later, scoring two more in the bottom of the sixth after recording two singles and capitalizing on an S&T error.

Singles from Hooper and Drew Baugus (Kirkwood, MO/Kirkwood) scored two more runs for the Miners in the 7th, cutting the deficit to five at 8-3. Harding's Josiah Binford came in to close the game at the start of the eighth inning, doing so effectively by only allowing one base runner and no hits. Missouri S&T also received solid work from the bullpen over the final innings. Ethan Payne (Bentonville, AR/Bentonville) and Dylan Wipf (Oak Park, IL/River Forest) combined to throw three scoreless innings.

Six different Miners recorded hits in the contest, including Baugus, Hooper, Cizek, Evans, Caleb Horsey (Springdale, AR/Springdale), and Will Beckham (Mountain Home, AR/Mountain Home). Evans also added a stolen base as S&T continued to apply pressure on the basepaths.

What's Next
The Miners host Quincy in their first Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) series of the season next week, starting with a single game on Friday at 2pm. Saturday's doubleheader will be preceded by a special ceremony to recognize the team for their 2024-25 GLVC championship.

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