ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — An early lead did not hold up for Henderson State on Friday evening, as Southern Arkansas rallied to defeat the Reddies 9-6 and take game one of the series at Clyde Berry Field.

Joe Myers, who hit his team-leading seventh home run in the second inning, became Henderson's all-time leader in runs scored on the solo shot. Myers, who is already the all-time walks leader for the program, now has a record 127 runs scored in his career. Kaden Argenbright also had another strong showing at the plate for HSU and finished with two hits — including his third home run of the last two games. 

It was a dream start for the Reddies in the opener. HSU got Argenbright's home run, which drove in three, and a bases loaded walk from Nick Butler to go in front 4-0 in the first inning. Myers' seventh big fly of the year tacked on another run in the second to extend the Henderson advantage to 5-0.

SAU made the Reddies' lead a short-lived one and plated three runs in the third, as well as two in the fifth, to storm back and tie the game, 5-5. Henderson briefly regained the lead thanks to a two-out rally in the bottom half of the fifth that was capped off by Bryson Haskins, who sent an RBI single into right field to put HSU back in front, 6-5.

The Muleriders tied the game again with a run in the sixth and then proceeded to break the game open in the seventh. Southern Arkansas used three hits, three wild pitches and two walks to plate three runs and take its first lead of the night, 9-6. 

After falling behind for the first time all evening, Henderson gave itself a chance late and brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, but was unable to cut into the deficit each time. 

The Reddies walked 10 Mulerider batters on the night and stranded 13 baserunners in defeat. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for HSU and was Southern Arkansas's ninth-straight win.

Henderson will look to rally and win the series tomorrow when the two teams face-off again in a doubleheader at 1 p.m.