Abilene, Texas - The University of the Ozarks baseball rallied late, but it was a little too late as Hardin-Simmons pulled out a 7-6 win Friday in game one of its American Southwest Conference series.

The Eagles (9-17, 3-10 ASC) would hold a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the third, but Hardin-Simmons (11-17, 6-10 ASC) took the lead for good when it plated five runs on six hits. Andrew Beck cranked out a two-run homer to give Ozarks a narrow 2-1 advantage. Hardin-Simmons responded in a big way although Ozarks made things interesting in the seventh. Trailing 7-3 heading into the final frame, Justin Crider doubled home Zach Jones. With one out, Chase Edwards blasted a two-run homer to bring the score to 7-6. However, the Cowboys secured the game with a strikeout and a groundout.
    
Crider finished 3-for-4 at the plate. Gyeongju Kim (1-2) took the loss.

In game two, Hardin-Simmons exploded for 19 runs on 19 hits to earn a 19-5 win. The Cowboys posted six runs in the second and five runs in the third to hold a 11-1 advantage. Ozarks never recovered and the Cowboys homered six times, including three by Colton Parker. Patrick Clifford went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI for the Eagles. Beck homered in the fourth. Dalton Spurgeon (1-4) took the loss as the starter.

Ozarks will complete the series Saturday at 1:00 p.m.