Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SEARCY, ARK. – The East Central University softball team dropped a doubleheader at Harding in the first of four games of the Great American Conference series.

The Tigers (14-19, 11-11 GAC) were led by senior Autumn Suydam, who hit .600 for the day, with three hits, one run and one RBI.  Junior Sydney Dow and senior Lauren Reeves also recorded three hits for ECU.

The teams will wrap up the GAC series, Saturday, March 26 with the doubleheader starting at noon.

Harding 7, East Central 5
The Bisons (24-10, 16-6 GAC) took an early lead in game one of the series, with a single run in the first inning.  Harding then added three more runs in the fifth for a 0-4 advantage.

The Tigers were held scoreless until the sixth inning when they cut the deficit in half, with two runs.  Senior Jordynn VanPelt started things for ECU with a solo home run to left center.  Reeves kept things going with a double and after the first out, Dow singled to put runners on the corners.

Sophomore Bre'Anna Davis added the second run of the inning with a single to right field.

The Tigers kept fighting and took a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh.  Suydam started the inning with a single and after the first out, VanPelt was added to the base path with a single up the middle and a stolen base.

Reeves sent the first run home with a groundout to second.  Freshman Kasey Moore then hit her first career home run to make the score 5-4.

However, Harding kept fighting and was able to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh to earn the 5-7 win.

Harding 6, East Central 4
The Bisons came out ready to play in the second game, taking a 0-5 lead in the first inning.

Both teams were scoreless in the next two innings before the Tigers earned a run in the fourth.  Reeves led off the inning with a single and because of an error ended up on third.  Moore sent Reeves home with a sacrifice fly for the 1-5 score.

ECU added a run in the fifth for a 2-5 deficit.  Senior Lacey Paulk started in the inning with a single and was joined on base by freshman Mariah Ewy who reached due to an error.  Senior Taylor Davis hit into a fielder's choice that left runners on first and second.

Both base runners then stole a base to put them on second and third.  Suydam sent the run across the plate with a single up the middle.

The Bisons pushed the lead back to four runs with a single run in the bottom of the fifth (2-6).

The Tigers added two more runs in the sixth inning to get to a 4-6 score.  After the first out Moore doubled and scored when Bre'Anna Davis singled.  A second out sent the runner to third, while allowed Ewy to earn the RBI with a single.

Both teams were held scoreless in the final innings resulting in the 4-6 final.