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After forcing a decisive game on championship Saturday with a 4-3 win over East Central, the Reddies couldn't overcome a 5-0 deficit losing to the Tigers 5-1 in the Great American Conference Championship game.

Henderson State, 41-13 on the season, finished as the tournament runners-up for the second time in three years. The Reddies claimed the regular-season title and will mostly likely advance to the NCAA Regionals next weekend.

In the opening game, Henderson State won in dramatic fashion holding off a furious rally by the Tigers.

With HSU clinging to a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, ECU loaded the bases with no outs.

ECU's Autumn Suydam led off the inning with a single, then Jordynn VanPelt followed with a walk. Both runners would advance on a Michelle Sorensen wild pitch.

ECU had an ideal setup after the next batter, Lauren Reeves, walked to load up the bases.

However, ECU's next batter, Samantha McGraw, lined out to shortstop where Alicia Zack slid over to make arguably the most important play of Henderson State's season.

Zack fired home to force Suydam out on the play, and then Seahorn threw to third base where Morgan South forced out VanPelt to pick up the second.

The Reddies were just inches away from completing a triple play, but the throw from South to Tricia Hock was just a split-second too late.

ECU's next batter, Peyton Watson would ground out to Hock at second base on the Tigers' next at bat, as HSU came away with the thrilling victory to keep its championship hopes alive.

The Reddies built a 4-0 lead scoring a pair of runs in the first on a Keirsten Seahorn two-run home run.

Ashlyn White would lead off the second inning with a home run to right-center field to make the score 3-0.

White would get things started in the fourth-inning with a leadoff double and would score on a double by Hock to increase the Reddie lead to 4-0.

East Central, 32-14 on the year, scored three unearned runs in the fourth with the help of a pair of Reddie errors.

ECU would load the bases in the fifth, but a great play by right-fielder Taylor Daniels throwing out Autumn Suydam at the plate helped the Reddies get out of the inning.

Again the Tigers threatened in the sixth-inning, but the Reddies would turn their second of three double plays to again get out of the inning with no harm done.

Sorensen would go the distance to pick up her 20th win of the season. The freshman from Sherwood, Ark. pitched in all six games in the tournament recording four wins.

The Reddies totaled eight hits in the game with Hock, Seahorn, White, and Alicia Zack having two hits each.

ECU took advantage of three Henderson State errors in the tournament finale and would take an early 5-0 lead.

Henderson State would get a run back when White hit her third home run of the championship to cut the deficit to 5-1.

Despite White entering the game in the circle and shutting down the Tigers the remainder of the game, the Reddies could not get any closer and East Central would claim the tournament title.

Four Reddies earned a spot on the GAC All-Tournament Team including Amy Halter, Sarah Gipson, Michelle Sorensen, and Tricia Hock.

Halter finished the tournament going 9-for-23 with six runs scored, while Gipson was 10-of-23 with three doubles, a home run and 7 RBI.

Hock hit .409 in the six games going 9-for-22 while Sorensen picked up four wins in the circle, struck out 28 batters in 28.1 innings of work and posted a 1.48 ERA.

Absent from the team was White who also had a solid tournament going 7-for-14 with three home runs, a double, four RBI and a 1.214 slugging percentage.

The Reddies will learn about play in next week's NCAA Central Regional with the announcement being made on www.ncaa.com Monday at 10 a.m.