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PHOTOS

Michelle Sorensen pitched a four-hit shutout and Henderson State provided plenty of offense as the Reddies beat Southeastern Oklahoma to claim the Great American Conference regular-season championship, Sunday at Dee White Field in Arkadelphia, Ark.

The Reddies, 37-11 overall and 27-7 in the GAC, opened Sunday's double-header against the Savage Storm with a 4-0 win in the first-game to claim the title. Henderson followed with a 3-1 victory to win the four-game series from Southeastern Oklahoma for the first time in school history.

Sorensen pitched the entire game, struck out five batters while surrendering just four hits to pick up the win to improve to 16-8 on the season.

"I woke up this morning feeling good and I told Coach (Beth) Jackson that I was ready," said Sorensen. "The offense did what they had to do and I knew today was going to be a special day."

Henderson State scored in the second-inning when Taylor Daniels led off with a double and then scored on an Ashlyn White single to right field.

The Reddies loaded the bases in the third-inning and would plate a run on a Daniels hard hit ball to first. Another fielding error by the Storm would score another run to increase the Henderson lead to 3-0.

Tricia Hock would make the score 4-0 in the fourth inning when she hit her fifth home run of the season.

Sorensen would find herself in a jam in the sixth inning as SOSU had a pair of runners on base with one-out. The freshman from Sherwood, Ark. would retire the next two batters and coast through the seventh to preserve Henderson's first-ever softball conference championship.

In the series finale, Hock led off the game with a single and would score on a double by Sarah Gipson to put HSU on top 1-0 after one inning of play.

Henderson State added to its lead in the fourth-inning as the Reddies put together three hits in the frame.

Keirsten Seahorn led off the inning with a single. HSU would then load the bases when Olivia Trapp reached on a walk and Morgan South singled.

Caroline Cullins then blasted a double to right-center field to score two runs to increase the Reddie lead to 3-0.

SOSU scored its only run of the day in the seventh-inning, but HSU pitcher Ali Hargis would get Sydney Kramer to ground into a double-play, then Laramie Beal grounded out to Gipson at first to end the game.

Hargis went the distance, scattering six hits, striking out three batters to improve to 8-0 on the season.

Morgan South collected three of Henderson's 14 hits in the twin bill, while Sarah Gipson, Tricia Hock, Taylor Daniels, and Keirsten Seahorn had two hits each.

The Reddies will be the top seed at next week's GAC Tournament in Bentonville, Ark. Henderson State will open the tournament on Thursday against No. 8 seed Southern Arkansas with the first-pitch set for 2 p.m.