SEARCY, Ark. – The Northwestern baseball team fell to Harding, 12-4, on Saturday morning.

The Rangers got off to a slow start, as Harding scored three runs in the first inning, but the Rangers rallied back in the second with Brody Harris singling down the left field line, followed by Tyler Hogan drawing a walk and Matthew Bailey getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Cole Barton ripped a single to left field to bring two runners home to cut Harding's lead to one, and the Rangers kept the rally going in the third inning with Joel Lindahl getting on base with a walk and stealing second. Harris singled once again to get Lindahl to third, and Hogan reached on an error that allowed Lindahl to get home and tie the game at 3-3 going to the bottom of the third.

Harding responded with four runs in the bottom of the third, and the Rangers got in scoring position on hits from Bailey and Blake Mattern in the fourth, but could not bring them home. The Rangers chipped away at the lead in the sixth with Jailon Goodfellow drawing a walk, followed by back-to-back singles from Bailey and Barton to cut the Harding lead to three. The Bisons added to their lead in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to take a 12-4 lead going into the ninth, and the Rangers tried to rally with hits from Mattern and Harris, but the Rangers fell to the Bisons, 12-4.

Harris led the Rangers in hits with three, while Barton racked up three RBI. Trey Barkman and Austin Maddox led in strikeouts with four each.

The Rangers will be back in action on February 17, when they travel to Wichita, Kansas to take on Newman University at 2 p.m.

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