ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State got timely home runs from Daniel Colasanto and Joe Myers to stave off Ouachita Baptist 12-8 in the first Battle of the Ravine on the diamond in 2021.
Colasanto had a big day for the Reddies (8-5, 5-4) and finished 2-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs, all of which came on a grand slam in the fifth inning. Freshman Corbin Tsistinas also had two hits, including a double, while Myers lone hit was a bomb in the eighth inning that drove in two runs.
Seven different pitchers saw action in the win for HSU. Starter Trevor Gracey went three full innings and allowed just one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Ethan Perry, the first reliever out of the pen, earned the first win of his college career by pitching a scoreless fourth frame.
Ouachita went up 1-0 with a run in the first inning, but two Tiger errors allowed Henderson to score two runs and move in front 2-1 in third. After OBU left the bases loaded in the fourth, HSU took advantage by plating three runs in the bottom half — two of which came on a triple by Nick Butler.
The Tigers cut into the lead in the fifth by scoring two runs on two hits but missed the opportunity for a bigger inning by leaving the bases loaded once again.
The Reddies capitalized for the second-straight inning, as two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Colasanto, who lifted the first home run of his career just over the right field fence to make it 9-3.
OBU made things interesting over the next two innings and used five hits and four walks to plate five unanswered runs and trim the deficit to 9-8 entering the bottom half of the seventh.
Henderson got an insurance run in the seventh courtesy of Kaden Argenbright, who legged out an RBI infield single with two outs in the inning. Leading 10-8, the Reddies got all the remaining insurance they needed in the eighth, as Myers pounded a ball well over the wall in left to put HSU on top, 12-8.
Cade Tucker and Taylor Langston locked things down for HSU in the final two frames and combined to pitch scoreless eighth and ninth innings. Langston recorded all three of the final outs via the strikeout.
Five of the Reddies' nine hits on the night went for extra bases, while OBU was limited to just two extra-base hits. The Tigers stranded 13 base runners in defeat.
HSU will head to the Sooner State this weekend to face off with Northwestern Oklahoma State in a three-game series. The Reddies and Rangers will play a single game at 6 p.m. on Friday and a doubleheader at noon on Saturday in Alva, Oklahoma.
