Box Score
Southern Arkansas used a four-run fifth-inning to beat Henderson State 6-2 and hand the Reddies their first loss in the GAC Baseball Championships, Monday in Enid, Okla.

With the loss, Henderson State will play an elimination game against Southeastern Oklahoma on Tuesday at Noon for the right to play the Muleriders for the GAC Championship at 3:30 p.m.

The two teams traded blows the first three innings as Southern Arkansas scored a run in the top half of the first-inning as Chase Harvey led off the game with a double and came home on a ground out by Korey Keith.

The Reddies answered as Hunter Mayall led off the Henderson first with a double and scored on a Jordan Taylor single down the right-field line.

Henderson State would go on to load the bases with one out, but SAU pitcher Preston Gray was able to work out of the jam without surrendering another run.

SAU, 38-16 on the year, would regain the lead scoring with two outs on a Carver Rademacher single that scored Keith who walked earlier in the inning.

Taylor would tie the score for the Reddies in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run to lead off the frame. It was Henderson's tournament leading seventh home run.

The Muleriders would put together five hits and score four runs in the fifth-inning to take a 6-2 lead and chase Reddie starting pitcher Cody Jones.

Henderson State had opportunities to cut the deficit as Tadarious Hawkins hit a one out triple in the sixth-inning and then load the bases with one-out in the seventh, but Grey and relief pitcher Jace Powers did a masterful job to get out of both innings.

Jay Hawley and Ryan Black would shut down the Muleriders the rest of the way as Hawley worked 2.1 innings without allowing a run, while Black retired all six batters he faced including striking out five Muleriders.

Henderson State had one of those nights offensively as the Reddie hitters were 2-for-17 with runners on base and 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Taylor had two of Henderson's nine hits while driving in both runs.

The Muleriders, winners of all three GAC Tournament Championships, are 10-0 in elimination games since the GAC Tournament began in 2012.