ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – It was an absolute pitching duel Friday afternoon against the Great American Conference's league-leading Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm as SOSU pulled away with back-to-back home runs to avoid the upset, 2-1.
 
Mallory Brewer pitched all seven innings as she registered six strikeouts while only giving up five hits – Southeastern's fourth-fewest hits in a game this season – to the league-topping Savage Storm. At the plate, Abbie Moore delivered a pair of singles and HSU's lone RBI of the outing.
 
Brewer started off firing, registering two strikeouts in each of the Savage Storm's first two at-bats. Southeastern's Amberlyn Walsworth matched Brewer stride for stride, however, as both aces kept their opponents scoreless through the first five-and-a-half innings.
 
With play entering the bottom of the sixth, Alyssa Dixon gave the Reddies their fourth hit of the game with an infield-single. Two outs later, Moore sent one of her singles to the shortstop, beating out the throw and scoring Dixon for the 1-0 lead.
 
With only three outs standing between Henderson and the biggest upset of the season, HSU claimed one of the three final put-outs before SOSU sent back-to-back home runs over the left-field wall to take a 2-1 advantage in heart-breaking fashion.
 
A stunned home crowd at Dee White Field played witness to one final single from Ashlyn Taylor before Southeastern escaped with the series-opening victory, 2-1. Henderson State (11-28, 8-20) and Southeastern will regroup tomorrow for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.