Box Score
Henderson State used 14 hits to race past Southeastern Oklahoma on Tuesday afternoon, defeating the Savage Storm 9-5 and advancing to the Great American Conference Championship game.

The GAC Championship game has been scheduled for Wednesday at Noon due to rain that has moved into Enid.

Officials from both teams along with tournament officials agreed that it was the best interest to wait until Wednesday to play the championship game. It will be Henderson's first-ever championship appearance since becoming a NCAA Division II program in 1994.

In Tuesday's game, Henderson State and Southeastern Oklahoma were scoreless through the first three innings of play.

In the top of the third inning, the Reddies loaded the bases with two outs but were unable to come away with a run.

Southeastern Oklahoma would add two runs on three hits in the fourth inning after Dylan Helms hit a solo home run over the left field wall for the game's first score.

SEOSU's Chance Burcham then singled up the middle to plate Corban Taylor.

The Savage Storm added another run in the bottom of the fifth as a sacrifice fly to left field from Helms scored Brayon Colley from third to send SEOSU up 3-0 over the Reddies.

Jordan Taylor would then come in to relieve pitch for Luke Tebbetts.

A double-play executed by Carlos Rodriguez, AJ Kruzel, and Hunter Mayall got the Reddies out of a jam to end the inning.

HSU would then get on the board in the top of the sixth after Conner Brackhahn smashed a two-out triple to left center field to send Tadarious Hawkins home, making the score 3-1.

Will Powell, HSU's next at-bat, lined a single between third base and shortstop to plate Brackhahn and pull the Reddies within one.

Carlos Rodriguez would continue the hit streak as he singled over shortstop to advance Powell to second base.

After Hunter Mayall walked, HSU loaded the bases once again as Southeastern brought in Taylor to pitch.

A pop-fly out to center field ended the inning, however, as the Reddies entered the bottom of the sixth down 3-2.

Southeastern's Jacob Soisson made the score 4-2 after homering to left-center field for the Savage Storm's lone score of the inning.

HSU would lead off the seventh with a hit as Lance Fields singled and then stole second after a wild pitch with one out on the board. Fields would then advance to third on a passed ball.

Ashton Roberts then walked after being hit by a pitch to set up an ideal situation for Hawkins with runners on first and third.

Hawkins took a full count before smacking a shot past shortstop to score Fields and advance Roberts to second, as HSU pulled within one again making the score 4-3.

The Savage Storm would bring in Nick Johnson to pitch before Brackhahn stepped to the plate with one out.

A catching error by Southeastern would advance Roberts home to score the game-tying run at 4-4, and the next pitch would belong to Brackhahn as he nailed a single straight up the middle to plate Hawkins and give the Reddies their first lead of the game, as HSU led 5-4.

HSU's next three batters would reach base, as Powell, Carlos Rodriguez, and Hunter Mayall all delivered and the Reddies took an 8-4 lead.

Powell doubled down the right field line to score Brackhahn, while Rodriguez reached on a fielding error by the shortstop, scoring Powell.

Mayall then doubled to left center to plate Rodriguez, as the Reddies pushed their lead to four runs, still with one out on the board.

Claude Johnson then singled to right field to set up runners on first and third as Jordan Taylor stepped to the plate, but the Savage Storm came up with a double play to finally get out of the inning.

HSU added six runs on six hits in the top of the seventh to head into the stretch.

The Reddies brought in First-Team All-GAC selection Nick Vanthillo to close, as the junior from Brasschatt, Belgium would retire three straight batters in the bottom of the seventh.

Fields would start things off in the top of the eighth with a lead-off single to right field, and then would steal second after Vanthillo took a strike at the plate.

However, on the next pitch, Fields attempted to steal home after advancing to third but was picked off.

Hawkins then reached first on a two-out single to center field, stole second base, but HSU would pop-fly out to left field to end the inning with the Reddies still hanging on to a 8-4 lead.

Vanthillo once again retired three more SEOSU batters as no one for the Savage Storm would reach base in the bottom of the eighth.

In the top of the ninth inning, HSU loaded the bases with one out as Taylor fielded the plate.

A sacrifice-fly to left field from Taylor scored Matt Evans from third base, as the Reddies took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning.

After putting runners on second and third with no outs, Vanthillo cruised through the next two batters for two outs.

Taylor would pick up a walk, and Southeastern's next batter(Soisson) would be hit by a pitch, which plated Kaleb Thomas and narrowed the lead to 9-5 HSU.

However, Vanthillo would then retire Chance Burcham as HSU advanced to the GAC championship for the first time in school history.

Vanthillo would record his HSU record 11th save of the year, while Hayden Daniels would get rewarded with the win.

Lance Fields and Conner Brackhahn led the way for HSU with three hits each, as Brackhahn plated twice and drove in two RBI.

Hawkins ended the game with two hits and two RBI, while Powell and Mayall each recorded two hits as well, with Powell driving in two RBI.

Fans can watch Wednesday's game on www.gacsportsnetwork.com . The game will be aired on ESPN 106.9 FM in Arkadelphia. Fans can also listen via the internet at www.hsusports.com.

Fans can also find a link to the GAC Sports Network on the HSU athletic web site.