ALVA, Okla. - Northwestern Oklahoma State started off Great American Conference play this afternoon, where they took on the Harding Bisons, but were on the wrong end of a 9-1 game.

The black-and-red were able to collect six hits on the afternoon, but nobody was able to gain more than one. Garrett Douglas, Nathan Kane, Arturo Castro, Greg Carrington, Steven Deckard and Casey Dickerman were the six to gain hits on the afternoon.

Starting on the mound for the Rangers was sophomore, Brandon Colbert, who was sound through the first two innings of work, but hit a snag in the road in the third where a double was ripped to right center, gaining an RBI in the process, giving the visitors their first run.

That would be all Harding could muster in the inning, but after an empty frame for the home club, the Bisons would tack on two more on a homer over the left field short fence to make it a 3-0 lead.

Unfortunately for Colbert, an error was the cause of the fourth run for the visitors, knocking out the sophomore after the fifth.

Northwestern would get on the board in the bottom half of the inning however, following a single by Deckard to start off the inning.

One batter later, Dickerman smashed a double off the centerfield wall to bring his teammate home. None more was given to the home team though, making it 4-1, Bisons.

Matt Bickford started off the top of the sixth inning on the hill and was fantastic in his three innings of work, giving up no runs on two hits, one walk and three strikeouts. 

Starting out the bottom of the sixth inning was was Douglas who grounded out to short, and the next two batters in Kane and Van Amstel would go down in order, ending the sixth.

No more runs crossed home plate for HU in the next two innings, as Bickford mowed down the next six batters with no blemishes to be added to his outing.

As the Ranger offense continued to struggle with the Bisons pitching, no more runs were added through the eighth inning, while HU put on a clinic in the final frame.

Two men were granted access in the early going of the ninth, and were immediately followed up by a three-run jack over the scoreboard to make it a commanding 9-1 game and an eventual final score, after a no-run bottom nine.

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Northwestern and Harding will continue the series tomorrow afternoon beginning at noon.