ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State got a game-tying single from Abbie Moore in the seventh, and a game-winning single from Kailey Reese in the eighth, to rally and defeat Oklahoma Baptist in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader, 9-8.
In the victory, the Reddies' offense was paced by Ashlyn Taylor, Lindsey Williams and Alyssa Dixon, who combined to go 7-for-10 with four walks. Taylor finished the series with six hits and six RBIs and now leads the Reddies with a .436 average. Over the course of the weekend, Dixon raised her batting average over .120 points and is now batting .304 with an impressive .429 on-base percentage.
The Reddies (11-9, 5-3), will travel to Bethany, Oklahoma, to play their first road GAC series of the year against Southern Nazarene. HSU will play doubleheaders on Friday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 12 p.m.
Game Two: Henderson State 9, Oklahoma Baptist 8
The Reddies were shut out in the first game of the doubleheader, but struck quickly in the day's second game, as HSU pushed across the game's first run in the bottom of the first. After a single, a stolen base, and an error put Dixon on third, Madie Green sent her home with a single to right field, giving the Reddies their first lead of the afternoon, 1-0.
Neither side threatened in the second and third, and Mallory Brewer worked around two singles in the top of the fourth to give HSU some momentum in the bottom half of the inning.
An OKBU error followed by back-to-back singles from Monica Monreal and Williams gave HSU the bases loaded with no outs. In a big spot, the freshman Taylor rocked a bases clearing double to left centerfield, scoring Camp, Monreal, and Williams, and giving the Reddies a 4-0 lead. HSU reloaded the bases after walks to Dixon and Marcela Lopez. With the bases juiced, Green was hit by a pitch and Camp, who led off the inning, drew a walk to score two more runs, pushing HSU's lead to 6-0.
Down six, OKBU responded in the top of the fifth, as four-straight singles made the game 6-1 to start the inning. After an RBI groundout, an error by the HSU defense allowed the Lady Bison to score two more and pull within striking distance, 6-4.
The two teams traded runs in the fifth and sixth, but with the score 7-5 in HSU's favor, the Lady Bison completed the comeback and took the lead in the top of the seventh after a fielder's choice RBI and a two RBI double made it 8-7.
Things looked dire for HSU in the bottom of the seventh. After a leadoff single, the Reddies were down to their final out with a runner on first. However, it was the HSU sophomores that would salvage the game and the series for the Reddies. Green worked a walk to put a runner in scoring position, and Moore tied the contest at 8-8 after her clutch single sent Lopez home from second. The Reddies were unable to win it in the seventh, tied the contest 8-8 as the game entered extra innings.
After OKBU went down in order, HSU needed a single run to win the game and take the series. Williams worked her second walk of the game to reach base for the fifth time in five plate appearances. She moved to second as Taylor was ruled safe on a bunt single before Dixon moved both runners up with a sacrifice to the third baseman. After a walk to Lopez loaded the bases, Kailey Reese punched a single through the right side, scoring Williams, and giving the Reddies a 9-8 victory.
Game One: Oklahoma Baptist, Henderson State 0
After scoring 17 runs in 11 innings of action on Friday, the Reddies were shut out in the first half of Saturday's doubleheader. OKBU's Katie Long did a fantastic job of limiting HSU's opportunities, allowing just eight baserunners through seven innings.
The Reddies had one of their few chances after OKBU took the lead with a two-run home run to left field in the top of the fourth inning. In the bottom half, Reese singled to right field and moved to second with a sacrifice. Following a walk to Christianna Camp, the Reddies had two on with two outs, but were unable to take advantage, and remained in a 2-0 hole.
HSU had another chance in the bottom of the fifth after loading the bases, but for the second inning in a row, the Reddies couldn't push across any runs, as OKBU kept their 2-0 lead.
HSU hit the ball hard three times in the bottom of the seventh, but none went for a hit, as OKBU took the first game 2-0.
