ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State fell behind early in game one of the doubleheader against Christian Brothers, but rallied late in the game to take the first half of the day's itinerary in extra innings, 4-3. The momentum of that comeback extended to game two, as HSU saw the surefire 10-2 victory in a run-ruled five-inning outing.
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Czoey White claimed the unofficial MVP award of the day as she rattled off four hits and two RBIs through the two contests. Just as impressive was
Addie Jordan, who claimed four RBIs, two hits and two runs on the day, including a two-run homerun in the first game when the Reddies were behind, 3-0, to kickstart the comeback.
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GAME ONE: Henderson State 4, Christian Brothers 3
It was slow going for either team early on as neither team saw a run until the fifth inning. The pitching duel had much to do with it as Macy Cumming and
Becca Almond went toe-to-toe. Almond, who pitched 6.0 innings, saw a triple from CBU in the top of the second with only one out and was able to get the next two Lady Bucs batters to deliver two infield pop-ups as HSU was able to escape with the scoreboard still showing 0-0.
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The score remained as such until the fifth inning, when Christian Brothers broke through with a one-run single. Another two runs in the top of the sixth saw the Reddies facing a 3-0 deficit heading into the bottom of the sixth with the potential to see their three-game winning streak snap.
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With two outs,
Kailey Reese advanced to first on a hit-by-pitch, bringing
Addie Jordan to the plate. The Conway, Arkansas native gave Henderson its first sign of life with two-run bomb, bringing the tally to 3-2 as play moved into the seventh frame.
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With
Krystal Lindsey relieving Almond in the circle in the top of the seventh, the freshman pitcher gave up zero hits in CBU's at-bat, giving HSU the chance to send the contest into extra baseball. The Reddies took advantage, as a single to left field from
Abbie Moore on two outs scored
Alyssa Dixon and tied the ballgame up, 3-3.
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Lindsey treated the Lady Bucs batters to another hitless half-inning in the top of the eighth, opening the door for a
Brooke Arnold walk-off single with the bases loaded, scoring
Lexi Trejo for the final run. Â Â
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GAME TWO: Henderson State 10, Christian Brothers 2
Once again, Christian Brothers got on the board first to see the early 1-0 lead, although this was one was to be short-lived. Henderson as a team saw its second home run of the day, this time from
Taylor Sledd as she knotted the game up, 1-1.
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With
Savannah Carrigan working through the Lady Bucs' third and fourth at-bats while giving up zero runs, the home crowd at Dee White Field witnessed the floodgates open up for the home team in the bottom of the fourth frame. In what was a marathon of an inning, the Reddies rattled off eight runs on six hits, along with the two CBU errors, to take a commanding 9-1 lead.
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A lone run in the top of fifth from Christian Brothers extended the game to the bottom of the fifth, but a double from White with two girls on signaled the end of play, as Trejo crossed the plate for her second game-winning run of the day.
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Carrigan pitched all five innings as she came away with her first win as a Reddie from the pitcher's spot, with her record standing at 1-1. The freshman only allowed one earned run in the victory.
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Henderson State (8-16, 5-9) will take its five-game winning streak on the road as it will not see Dee White Field again until April 9. Next up is a three-game weekend series against the 6-10 (6-5 GAC) Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs in Weatherford, Oklahoma, beginning Mar. 26.