AUSTIN, Texas – Sophomore TANNER LAWSON pitched St. Edward's to a 10-3 victory Friday over Harding after the Hilltoppers dropped game one of their doubleheader, 6-3.
 
Lawson earned his first win of the season with eight innings of one-run baseball, surrendering five hits while striking out 12. At the plate, ZACHERY SCHINDLER combined for two runs and three RBI while going 3-for-8 on the day. DEREK THOMPSON and GABLE WHITACRE both hit home runs.
 
St. Edward's (2-3) matches its start from last season with the split. Harding falls to 1-4 on the year.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game One (Harding 6-3)
W – Allen (1-1), L – Boone (1-1), S – Faulkner (1)
 

• Harding took advantage of a Hilltoppers error at first to make it 1-0 in the opening frame.
• BRANDON BOONE and St. Edward's defense shut the Bisons down for the next three innings, allowing no runs and just two hits.
• Harding hit a two-out home run in the top of the fifth to make it 3-0.
• Thompson responded for the Hilltoppers in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run, pulling St. Edward's within two.
• A passed ball and throwing error in the top of the sixth gave the Bisons two more runs and a 5-1 lead.
• WILLIAM HAIRSTON drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth and Schindler drove him in with a double down the left-field line.
• ROMEO CORTINA continued the scoring in the sixth with a RBI groundout to make it 5-3.
• A sacrifice fly for Harding in the top of the seventh was all the insurance the visitors needed.

 
Game Two (St. Edward's 10-3)
W – Lawson (1-0), L – Roberts (0-1)
 

• Lawson picked off a Bisons runner in the top of the first to keep Harding off the board.
• In the second inning, Lawson stayed hot and stuck out the side.
• The offense picked up in the bottom of the third as St. Edward's plated five runs on five hits.
• A single from Schindler, followed by a triple from Cortina, capped with a home run from Whitacre all resulted in a 5-0 lead for St. Edward's.
• Hairston doubled TJ GISELBACH across the plate in the fourth to make it 6-0.
• Harding got one run back in the fifth frame off a wild pitch.
• Thompson and Giselbach scored Cortina and Whitacre in the fifth to extend the Hilltoppers lead to 8-1.
• Runs in the sixth and seventh innings cemented the win for St. Edward's, despite a two-run ninth for Harding.

HILLTOPPER NOTES

• Thompson's home run was the first hit of his St. Edward's career.
• St. Edward's has matched its start from the 2016 season in which it advanced to the NCAA South Central Regional Championship.
• The Hilltoppers are 5-3 all-time against the Bisons after taking two out of three in Searcy last season.
• Boone falls to 1-1 on the season with a 1.59 ERA and 15 strikeouts.
• Lawson improves to 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 16 strikeouts.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH ROB PENDERS
"The pitchers were much better today, but we did not hit the ball in the first game at all, and that was probably the biggest difference. In the second game, we played our most complete game of the year with Lawson being outstanding.
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's closes the series against Harding with a single game Saturday at 1:00 p.m. on Lucian-Hamilton Field. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 3-10, Harding 6-3
Records: St. Edward's (2-3), Harding (1-4)
Attendance: 347
 
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