SHAWNEE, Okla. — Henderson State got a big lift from its bullpen on Friday and outlasted Oklahoma Baptist 4-3 in the first game to split the road doubleheader.

Starter Austin Cross gave the Reddies three innings in his second appearance of the week, but relievers Kris Priddy and Jon Youngblood were the story. Priddy threw seven big innings, gave up just two runs, and struck out four, while Youngblood got the win by pitching the final three frames and allowing just one hit. Joseph Shepherd, Caleb Carr, and Ryan Wieligman each had two hits for Henderson in the game, while Wieligman also added two RBIs.

The Reddies will go for the series win tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Game 1: Henderson State 4, Oklahoma Baptist 3
After the Bison got out to a 1-0 lead on a home run in the second inning, the Reddies tied things up in the fifth. Daniel Colasanto reached on an error, and after walks from Danny Mitchell Jr. and Brandon Pollock moved him to third, Josh Aguilar brought him home on a fielder's choice to make it 1-1.

Henderson took its first lead in the top of the eighth, when Blake Wynn ripped a leadoff double to left field and Wieligman scored him with an RBI single moments later to push the Reddies in front 2-1.

OKBU responded in the bottom half and used back-to-back singles, along with a sacrifice fly to deep center, to scratch a run and knot the score back up at 2-2.

Both teams went down in order in the ninth as the game moved to extra innings. Again it was the Reddies who applied the pressure, as Colasanto came through with a bases-loaded single to right field in the top of the 10th, scoring Carr and giving Henderson a 3-2 advantage.

It looked as though the Reddies would close it out in the bottom of the inning after they retired the first two batters of the inning, but down to their final out, the Bison got a double, a single, and an error on HSU to improbably square the score and prolong the game.

Each team put runners on base the next two innings, but neither could plate a run, as the game moved into the 13th. It was there that Henderson broke through, as a walk to Aguilar and an infield single from Joseph Shepherd got the Reddies off to fast start. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position and Carr was intentionally walked, Wieligman answered the bell for HSU as he put a ball into right field which allowed the pinch runner Jake Dunn to score on the sac fly and put Henderson on top again, 4-3.

Down to its final three outs once again, there were no fireworks this time for OKBU, as the Reddies sat them down in order to pick up the big road win.

Game 2: Oklahoma Baptist 8, Henderson State 2
Henderson could not get its bats going in the second game on Friday evening and fell to the Bison 8-2.

Oklahoma Baptist's pitching was superb in the seven-inning contest and allowed the Reddies just one hit while striking out 12.

After falling behind 2-0, Henderson was able to scratch a run in the third when OKBU committed two errors and had a costly wild pitch which helped plate Danny Mitchell Jr., unearned, to make it 2-1.

The Bison tacked on two more in the bottom of the inning to open up a 4-1 lead, but the Reddies pushed one more across in the fifth — this time courtesy of a hit batter, a wild pitch, and a passed ball — to cut the deficit to 4-2.

OKBU made sure the Reddies would get no closer, and added four more runs over the next two innings to close it out and salvage a split in the doubleheader.