SEARCY, Ark. – It didn’t feel like the Missouri Western softball team was no-hit and run-ruled in its regional opener against top-seeded and No. 2 ranked Harding Thursday, but the Griffons were.

Harding (55-6) scored eight runs through just less than five innings and the Lady Bisons’ freshman pitcher, Autumn Humes no-hit the Griffons, allowing just one base runner for an 8-0 win over Missouri Western (38-19) in the team’s first-ever NCAA Division II Central Regional game.

NOTABLES
– It was a 1-0 game through two innings with Harding getting a two-out RBI-double from Humes in the first

– Harding scored three in the third, one of those with two out, and three in the fifth to end the game

– The Lady Bisons’ last two runs both came on wild pitches, one by starter Kenzie Hilzer and one by Barbara Billingsley against the only batter she faced in relief

– Kailey Green was the Griffons’ only base runner after drawing a two-out walk in the fifth

– Hilzer gave up all eight runs, all earned on eight hits, but four of those hits were in the third and three others in the fifth. She held Harding to just one hit in her other three innings, including a perfect second inning

UP NEXT
Missouri Western faces elimination Friday at 1:30 p.m. against fourth-seeded Winona State (49-12) which lost to fifth-seeded Southern Arkansas, 5-0 on Thursday. Should the Griffons defeat Winona State, they’ll play the loser of the Southern Arkansas, Harding game at 4 p.m. Friday.

— MWSU Athletics —