All it takes is a 1-run margin to win, and the University of Arkansas at Monticello baseball team is just fine with that.
Top-seeded UAM scored 5 runs in the seventh inning and held off an eighth-inning charge by third-seeded Harding University for a 7-6 win — the Boll Weevils’ third-straight 1-run victory — Friday in the Great American Conference winners’ bracket final at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park.
The Weevils (31-21) will play in the championship round at noon Saturday against the winner of the losers’ bracket. No. 5-seed Southern Arkansas, which lost to UAM 3-2 on Thursday, took on No. 2-seed Arkansas Tech on Friday afternoon, with the winner to meet Harding in the evening’s other semifinal. That winner would have to defeat UAM twice to win the tournament and earn the automatic NCAA Division II tournament bid.
UAM, Arkansas Tech and Harding are the regular-season tri-champions.
Pursuing their first Great American tournament championship since 2017, the Weevils have backed up their top seed, shaking off No. 8-seed Oklahoma Baptist in three games (the last one an 8-7, 11-inning battle Monday) and winning two close calls on the Arkansas Travelers’ home field.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
They came back from a 3-2 deficit against Harding in the bottom of the seventh, led off by Roc Hawthorne’s triple to left. Camden Tanner, the conference’s Freshman of the Year, drove Hawthorne home to tie the game, stole second base and advanced to third on Chaz Poppy’s single to left field. Tanner finished 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored.
Chase Cripps sent Tanner home with a 1-run single, forcing Harding to make a pitching change. Cade Cancilla was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Poppy (3 for 4) and Cripps (3 RBI) scored on a wild pitch. Parker Dorrance flew out to left field to send Cancilla home.
Dylan Vail (4-1), who took over for starter Connor Irvine, gave up a double, hit a batter and walked a player to fill the bases in the eighth. With Kyle Roop on the mound, the Bisons took advantage thanks to Coulton Doyle’s 2-run single to left center and Drew McNeel’s 1-run single up the middle. Ty Kirkbridge singled to load the bases, but Roop induced a fielder’s choice to third on Nathan Bowie’s at-bat to escape the jam.
Nelson Mercado induced a pop-up, line-out and groundout for a perfect ninth to pick up his seventh save of the year.
Irvine went 6 2/3 innings, struck out 4 and allowed 3 earned runs on 5 hits. Davis Welch worked 6 innings in his start for the Bisons, striking out 7 and giving up 2 earned runs on 7 hits.
Doyle went 2 for 2 with 4 runs and Logan Lacey 2 for 5 with a run scored for Harding. Griffin Meeker (6-2) suffered the loss, responsible for 4 of UAM’s 5 seventh-inning runs.
Harding took a 2-1 lead with 2 runs in the second and UAM tied it in the bottom of the inning.