GAME ONE:
Henderson State used a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning from
Brooklynn Jimeson to run-rule Southeastern Oklahoma 10-1 and earn its fifth-straight walk-off victory.
Southeastern got on the board early in the top of the first, when an error scored Symphoni Shomo from third base, but the Reddies answered in the bottom half of the inning on a double from
Selena Mendoza that scored
Alexis Morton from second to make it 1-1.
Henderson got the bats going in the bottom of the fourth, opening up a 5-1 lead behind doubles from both
Ashleigh Erb and
Olivia Trapp, and a sac fly from Mendoza. In the sixth, the Reddies' offense exploded, scoring five more runs, including the walk-off winner from Jimeson that just got past the glove of the left fielder and flew over the wall to end it.
Michelle Sorensen again went the distance and got her 10th win of the year for HSU in the circle, giving up no earned runs on just three hits while striking out six. Erb and Jimeson both had three RBIs for the Reddies, while
Keirsten Seahorn,
Courtney Warren, Trapp and Morton all scored two runs each.
The win clinched the four-game series for Henderson, its second Great American Conference series victory of the season.
GAME TWO:
Henderson State had Southeastern Oklahoma down to its final out with a chance to sweep the series, but clutch hitting late and a two-run homer in extra innings helped the Savage Storm get past the Reddies 4-2 and win its only game of the weekend in Arkadelphia.
The Savage Storm struck first in the fifth, when Ashton Adkins scored on a fielder's choice, but Henderson responded immediately, getting two runs on a walk and a hit batter to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
The Reddies looked to be in good shape, nursing a one-run advantage in the top of the seventh, but SOSU's Marisa Fleck doubled down the left field line to get to second base, and Mykaela Wallace blooped a single into right field with two outs to score Fleck and tie things 2-2, sending the game to extra innings.
Henderson had a chance to walk-off again in the eighth, but stranded two runners on first and third. Neither team could get much going until the top of the 11th, when Fleck smashed a ball deep over the wall in right field with a runner on, to give the Savage Storm a 4-2 lead, which they ultimately held onto for the win.
Despite the loss,
Sydney Bonner threw well for the Reddies, going all 11 innings and allowing two earned runs on seven hits. The finale was the only game of the series in which SOSU out-hit Henderson, besting them at the plate by just one hit, 7-6.
The game was the fifth extra-inning contest this week for Henderson, after playing three on Sunday and Monday against Arkansas Tech and one yesterday in the series opener.
Saturday's results move the Reddies to 14-14 overall and 8-7 in GAC play.
Henderson's next games are March 24-25 when it plays East Central in Ada, Oklahoma, in two double-headers beginning at 2 p.m. Friday and noon on Saturday.
