Box Score

AMBER WILBURN INTERVIEW
PHOTO GALLERY

Amber Wilburn blasted a solo-home run in the top of the seventh-inning to lead Henderson State to a 6-5 win over East Central, Thursday at the Great American Conference Championship in Bentonville, Ark.

The win is the first over ECU in school history as the Lady Reddies entered the game having lost the previous 10 meetings including four games just three weeks ago.

Henderson State, 22-30 on the season, took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning as the Lady Reddies put together five hits in the frame.

The inning began when Laura Mabary and Amy Halter both reached on infield singles. Sarah Gipson then lined a single back up the middle to score Mabary for the first run of the game.

With two-outs in the inning, Hali Kizer delivered a two-run double scoring both Gipson and Halter. Kizer scored on a Morgan South single to left field.

The lead didn't last for long as the Tigers scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game.

In the Henderson fourth, Kayla Williams began the inning with an infield single and would later advance to third on a bunt single by Halter. Williams would score on a squeeze bunt by Gipson to give HSU the 5-4 lead.

The second-seeded Tigers tied the score in the fifth-inning on a Leah Tigert single which scored Gina Mengwasser who doubled to lead off the inning.

The sixth-seeded Lady Reddies turned to one of its seniors as Wilburn stepped up to the plate in the seventh-inning.

With one out, the Gilmer, Texas native blasted a Lacey Paulk pitch over the scoreboard in left field.

Kasey Carlock re-entered the game to pitch the final inning for the Lady Reddies.

ECU, 40-12 on the year, had runners on first and second base with two outs, but Carlock got Kayci Snider to ground out to Kizer to end the game and pick up her first save of the year,  

Carlock pitched the first inning before Williams took over in the second to pitch the next five-innings and get the win, improving to 13-13 on the year. It was the second win of the day for Williams.

Henderson State totaled 11 hits in the game with Mabary, Halter, Kizer, and South all having two hits each.   

The Lady Reddies will next play top-seeded Southeastern Oklahoma at 3 p.m. on Friday in a winner's bracket game. The winner will advance to Saturday's championship game.