SEARCY, Ark. — Henderson State got an excellent outing from starter Austin Cross, and took full advantage of Harding miscues, to fight past the Bisons 6-2 on Friday in the opening game of the teams' weekend series.

Cross, who earned his third win of the year, was phenomenal, and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out three in six full innings. Kris Priddy picked up his second save of the season by pitching the final three frames and giving up just one run on one hit. Priddy struck out five of the 11 batters he faced.

The Bisons scored a run in the third to take a 1-0 lead early, and their starter Tanner Smith was stellar in his own right, as he kept the Reddies off the board through five innings.

Things came apart for Harding in the sixth. With Caleb Carr on first and two gone in the inning, Bryson Haskins reached on a fielding error, and moments later the miscue was compounded when both runners advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch. 

Still just one pitch from escaping, Smith rolled a perfect ground ball to his shortstop to get Harding out of the inning unscathed, but the throw was subsequently muffed by the first baseman, which allowed both Carr and Haskins to score, unearned, and pushed the Reddies in front 2-1.

After the Bisons went down in the bottom half, Henderson took advantage of the big momentum swing in the seventh, and used six hits in the inning — three of which were doubles — to plate four more runs and seize a commanding 6-1 advantage. Although Harding got a run back on a solo shot, Priddy slammed the door shut down the stretch to give the Reddies a big series-opening win.

Both Joseph Shepherd and Carr had two hits in the victory for HSU. Shepherd also accounted for two RBIs with one of the doubles in the seventh. 

The Reddies (21-20, 15-12) will go for the series win tomorrow when the teams tangle in a doubleheader set for 1 p.m.