- Unity and Depth Spell Championship for Bisons Picked to finish sixth in Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference, the baseball team refused to listen to the press or other teams on who should win. The Bisons followed what the athletic teams had decided would be their motto, "Win More in '84." The team started their season off right winning the first three games. They defeated Oklahoma Christian College 9-3, then Rust College 13-3 and 1O-l. Then they traveled south to Alabama and Florida to play Spring College in Mobile and then over to Pensacola to play Western Florida University. The Bisons faltered in the sun and lost all four games. The Bisons returned to Arkansas shaken. They had little time to regroup before they had to make a trip to Clarksville to play College of the Ozarks in a non-conference double header. The Bisons won both games, 9-7 and 8-7. In the first game Marty Ninemire batted a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to give the Bisons the win. Greg Thompson came through for Harding in the second game with a single that scored the go-ahead run. The Bisons returned home with a 5 and The Thrill of Victory. A two-run homer by Steve Pilkington helped the Bisons win, 11·8, ouer Arkansas Tech and clinched the first Ale title in 46 years. - photo by Public Relations Office. 1984 Baseball Team.Front row: Tucker, Mayes, Downing, Wisecarver, Barbiea, Allman. Second row: Sites, Lewis, Jernigan, Thompson, Deidiker, Hindman , Burgess. Back row: Ninemire, Watkins, Ross, Musgrave , Pilkington, Jones, Brantley, Taylor. 156 Baseball 4 record to face conference foe Henderson State which was picked to finish third in the conference. Harding used the Reddies'.mistakes to win the first game 4-3 with all four runs coming in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Bisons used six walks and a double to turn in their first conference win. The second game was just as exciting but with Henderson State getting the win 9-5. The game was close 3- 2 in the sixth inning when a throwing error on a sure double play opened the floodgates. The Reddies scored six times. The Bisons tried to fight back but could only manage three runs. Both teams were held scoreless in the seventh. The Bisons journeyed to Arkadelphia to take on Ouachita Baptist University. Steve Pilkington posted 11 strike outs, and only gave up four hits as the Bisons used six hits to score three runs defeating the Tigers 3-0 in game one. The second game the Tigers clawed their way back after being behind 3-l. They scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Bisons did not give up. They, too came back in the sixth with two runs and one in the seventh. OBU tried to make another come back but could only score in the bottom of the seventh before Pilkington came in as a reliever to stop them short. Coach Johnson commented on his team after the game: "We played as well defensively as we've done this season. We ran well and played really heads-up ball. " It seemed Coach Johnson spoke too soon, because Harding traveled to Memphis to face Christian Brothers College and lost both games 10-7 and 3-0. The Bisons returned home to face University of Arkansas at Monticello. Pilkington's two hit pitching performance and Randy ' Hindman's clutch home run was the difference in a 2-1 win in the opener. Harding jumped out quick in the second game scoring two in the first and three in the second in what looked like it might be a romp . The Boll Weevils made a game out of it scoring three in the third. The Bisons scored in the third. Both teams scored in the fourth inning and Harding scored in the fifth. Both teams held each other at bay the rest of way and the score ended Harding 8, UAM4. . . These two victories made the Bisons record 10-7 over all but more important they had a conference record of five wins
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