WONDER BOYS CLOSE SEASON WITH HOME LOSS TO HARDING
ON SENIOR DAY

         RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys Baseball closed out its 2009 season here Sunday afternoon by falling 9-7 to Harding in Gulf South Conference action on Senior Day at Tech Field.

Prior to Sunday’s game, the Wonder Boys honored its five-member senior class of pitcher Barrett Davis (North Little Rock, Ark.), second baseman Josh Holloway (Booneville, Ark.), first baseman Robbie Hohler (Searcy, Ark.), pitcher Tyler Mattox (Conway, Ark.) and third baseman Tony Sanchez (Mesquite, Texas).

With the loss, Tech ends the year with a 22-30 overall record and a 9-12 mark in the GSC, while Harding, who is the No. 3 seed from the West Division in next weekend’s GSC Tournament in Millington, Tenn., closes the regular season with a 31-23 overall mark and a 12-9 record in the league.

Harding got the scoring started with three runs in the third inning. Ryan Moody had an RBI base hit and Wisley Correa drove in two runs with a single.

          Tech answered with two runs in their half of the third inning on a 2-run double by Sanchez. The double was the 57th of his Tech career, which puts him third on the Wonder Boys career chart.

          Harding added a run in the fourth inning, but Tech responded with a run in the fifth when freshman shortstop Tyler Shaw (St. Marys, Ga.) roped a run-scoring double.

The Bisons extended its lead to 7-3 with a three-run sixth, before the Wonder Boys closed the gap to 7-5 in its half of the sixth inning on a two-RBI single by Hohler.

          Harding pushed across two insurance runs in the 9th on 2-run home run by Correa to seal its victory.

          Tech attempted a rally in the bottom of the ninth as junior leftfielder Jeremy Houchin (Springdale, Ark.) led off the frame with a double and freshman catcher Landon Sullins (Harrison, Ark.) followed with a two-run blast over the left field wall to cut the Bisons lead to 9-7, but the Wonder Boys did no further damage in the inning.

Mattox (2-7 on the season) took the loss, pitching five innings, allowing seven runs, three earned, on seven hits with three walks and a strikeout in his final appearance as a Wonder Boy.

Troy Keith (6-5) earned the win for Harding, allowing three runs on six hits in five innings, walking six and fanning two. Josh Creveling worked the final 3.1 innings to pick up his fourth save of the season, giving up two runs on four hits with a walk and one strikeout.

Junior centerfielder Chad Wynn (Bono, Ark.) and Sanchez had three hits to lead Tech offensively, while Sullins, Hohler and Sanchez each drove in a pair of the runs in the loss.

Correa had two hits and four RBIs to lead Harding, while Ryan Kincade added two hits and an RBI.

Tech outhit the Bison 12-9, but the Wonder Boys made four errors in the game that led to four unearned runs. Harding committed no errors in the game.

Harding Box Score

-- Tech Athletics --