ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University softball team gave the 24th-ranked team in the nation a good fight, but ended up falling to Harding in both games of a double header on Friday at home by final scores of 5-3 and 6-5.

In the first game, Ouachita (4-14, 0-4 GAC) scored all of its runs early with two in the second and one in the third, all scoring one at a time. The first run came on a solo homerun from Jillian Jones, her second of the season. She was also responsible for her team's third and final run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the third.

In between Jones' RBIs, Jessalyn Ahrens picked up an RBI single in the second.

The Tigers outhit Harding (15-5, 4-1 GAC) 9-8 in the first game. Madison Miller and Kyndal Moyer each had multi-hit games for Ouachita. Miller went 2-for-4. Moyer went 2-for-3.

In the nightcap, the Tigers took advantage of two walks and two hit batters to score three runs in the bottom of the first on just one hit.

Harding evened the scored in the fourth with three runs. Ouachita regained the lead in the bottom of the inning on a solo homerun by Lacy Ornelas. The Bisons answered back with two runs in fifth to take a 5-4 lead, which was tied in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single from Callie Jourdan.

The 5-5 tie lasted through the seventh, forcing an extra inning to decide a victor. The Bison rallied for one run in the top of the eighth, and then retired Ouachita in order in the bottom of the inning to seal the double header sweep and series win.

The series finale is set for Saturday at 11 a.m.