ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State used an offensive explosion in game one and a pitching gem in game two to take both halves of Friday's doubleheader and win the series against Southwestern Oklahoma State with 14-4 and 2-1 victories.

The Reddies will go for the sweep of the Bulldogs tomorrow when the two teams meet in the final game of the series at 12 p.m.

GAME 1: Henderson State 14, SWOSU 4
Henderson State put up 11 runs in the first four innings in the opening game of the series on Friday and cruised to a 14-4 run-rule win over SWOSU.

Kaden Argenbright, Danny Mitchell Jr. and Greyson Stevens all had two hits to lead HSU in the win. Argenbright had three RBIs, three runs scored and his first home run of the season in what was a busy day for the freshman.

Austin Cross earned his second win of the year by pitching five innings and allowing four runs on five hits. Cross walked seven batters in the game but did not allow a single walked batter to score.

The Reddies were hot from the start and hung four runs on the board in the first inning — three of which came on Joe Myers' team-leading sixth home run of the season.

Leading 5-1, HSU began to blow the contest open in the fourth, when it plated six runs on three hits, three walks and two Bulldog errors to seize a commanding 11-1 advantage.  

SWOSU cut its deficit to 11-4 with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth, but the Reddies had another offensive burst in the bottom half of the sixth, as RBIs from Josh Aguilar and Nick Butler scored two of Henderson's three runs in the frame to push the lead back to double figures, 14-4, and end the game early.

Eight different players had hits in the win for Henderson, while Myers, Argenbright and Butler all finished with three RBIs. Ethan Perry pitched the final two scoreless innings for HSU and allowed just one hit while striking out three.

The Reddies chased SWOSU's ace Nate Postlethwait, who entered the game 4-0 and with a 2.06 ERA, after just three innings. Postlethwait gave up eight runs on seven hits and walked four.

GAME 2: Henderson State 2, SWOSU 1
After winning with their bats in the first contest, the Reddies won with pitching in the second, as a brilliant start from Matthew Baker and timely plays down the stretch gave Henderson a 2-1 series-clinching victory.

Baker was terrific on the mound for HSU and earned his second win of the year by pitching six innings and surrendering just one run on six hits. The senior from Rockwall, Texas struck out a season-high eight SWOSU batters and walked just two.

Myers, who homered in game one, was 2-for-2 in the second contest with a run scored, while Corbin Tsistinas and Bryson Haskins drove in Henderson's two runs.

The Reddies went in front early on an RBI single from Tsistinas which made it 1-0 in the first inning. The Bulldogs answered quickly with a solo shot in the second to make it 1-1, but the scoring for both sides slowed significantly after that.

HSU had opportunities thanks to two-out triples in both the third and fourth frames, but was unable to score each time. SWOSU also had its chances, but left runners on the corners in the fifth to keep the game tied, 1-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Reddies finally broke through. Haskins, the nine-hole hitter, got ahold of the first pitch he saw to lead off the inning and belted his second home run of the season over the fence in left field to make it 2-1. The home run was just the fourth of Haskins' career and was his first long ball at Clyde Berry Field since March of 2019.

Nursing a 2-1 lead, Baker sat the Bulldogs down in order in the sixth and passed the baton to closer Taylor Langston for the final three outs of the game. SWOSU threatened in a big way in the seventh, as its leadoff man Alex Bedard was hit by a pitch with one out and stole second to move into scoring position.

After successfully swiping second, the speedy Bedard, who was 18-for-18 on the season in stolen base attempts, made a break for third on the very next pitch by Langston. The aggressive decision proved to be a costly one, as HSU catcher Josh Aguilar, who was inserted just for his defense in the seventh inning, gunned down Bedard at third to erase the tying run from the base paths. Langston finished the job two pitches later with a ground out to close the game, and the series, for the Reddies.