RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Henderson State was held to nine hits in two games during Monday's doubleheader, as Arkansas Tech won both contests to claim the 3-1 series victory over the Reddies.
The Reddies next series begins Friday when they take on Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant, Oklahoma, with doubleheaders scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday and 12 p.m. Saturday.
GAME ONE: Arkansas Tech 10, Henderson State 1
Henderson State was limited to just four hits by Arkansas Tech starter Megan Goodnight and the Reddies fell to the Golden Suns 10-1 in five innings in the first game of Monday's doubleheader.
The Reddies (14-9, 6-6) threatened to open the contest and got leadoff hitter
Bethany Allen to third and two-hole hitter
Lindsey Williams to second with just one out in the bottom of the first inning. Tech got out of the jam, however, as Goodnight struck out the next two batters to help the Golden Suns come away unscathed.
ATU (18-6, 9-3) took advantage in the bottom half of the inning and used a leadoff triple, a walk, a fielding error and a wild pitch to plate three unearned runs and take a 3-0 lead after one.
Henderson moved runners to second and third again in the second, but stranded them once more. Things began to get away from the Reddies in the bottom of the third, as Tech scored seven runs in the inning — six of which came with two outs — to break the game open 10-0.
A Golden Suns' error in the fifth helped the Reddies score Allen from third to get one run back, but Henderson would come no closer, as the run-rule took effect following the top half of the inning, allowing ATU to take game one 10-1.
Allen was the bright spot for Henderson in a tough game, as she went 2 for 3 at the plate to produce half of the Reddies' hits in the contest.
Sydney Bonner took the loss in the circle for HSU which dropped her record to 4-4 this season.
GAME TWO: Arkansas Tech 6, Henderson State 3
Henderson State got two home runs from freshmen to take the lead early and then loaded the bases in the final inning, but could not finish its comeback off, as Arkansas Tech defeated the Reddies 6-3 to sweep the doubleheader on Monday and claim the series win.
Freshman
Madie Green got the Reddies off to a strong start in the opening frame, when she drove a ball over the fence in left field for her fifth home run of the season to give HSU a 1-0 lead. Fellow freshman
Kailey Reese joined in the home run party in the second inning, as she put one out to right center to push the Henderson lead up to 2-0.
ATU erased the deficit in the bottom of the second and used three hits and an error to score three runs in the inning — two of which were unearned — and take a 3-2 advantage. Tech extended its lead out to 5-2 on a two-run home run from Janie Knowles in the third and then tacked on another run in the fourth on an RBI double to push the deficit for the Reddies up to 6-2.
Bethany Allen gave Henderson some life in the fifth, when she became the third Reddie to hit a solo home run in the game, by taking a ball over the left field wall to make it 6-3. In the sixth, the Reddies threatened when the first two batters of the inning reached on a single and a hit-by-pitch, but a strikeout and double play quickly ended what was a promising start for Henderson.
Down to their final three outs, the Reddies again pushed ATU to the limit in the seventh by loading the bases with two outs. The threat would not come to pass, however, as a grounder to the shortstop produced the force out at second base, ending the game in the Golden Suns' favor, 6-3.
Allen again led Henderson with two hits and also scored a run, but HSU stranded seven baserunners and committed two errors which led to two runs for ATU.
Mallory Brewer got the loss for the Reddies in the circle after allowing three earned runs on six hits in three innings of work.
