ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State scored seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings on Saturday as the Reddies rolled past Missouri Western 11-2 at Clyde Berry Field. The win improved HSU to 6-0 on the season — the best start for the program in the NCAA era.
It was the
David Vilches show once again for the Reddies, as the senior transfer from Creighton hit two home runs for the second-straight game and finished with five RBIs. Lead-off man
Kaden Argenbright was also terrific at the plate and went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and four runs scored.
Cade Tucker was excellent in his second start of the year and struck out nine Griffon batters in six innings of work. The Conway, Arkansas native improved to 2-0 on the mound and surrendered just one run on four hits.
Blake Pennington,
Henry Coppens and
Cole Oswald each pitched an inning of relief in the win.
The game was tight in the early-going on Saturday. Argenbright led off the game with a double which led to Henderson's first run, but the Reddies did not record another hit until the fifth inning and watched Missouri Western tie the game at 1-1 with an RBI double in the fourth.
HSU broke the tie in the fifth on an RBI fielder's choice from Vilches, as well as a two-out, two-run double from
Alec Lewis, which put the Reddies up 4-1. After Tucker and Pennington sat down six-straight Missouri Western batters in the sixth and seventh, Vilches delivered again for Henderson with a two-run missile to centerfield. His third homer of the year pushed the lead out to 6-1.
The Griffons scratched a run in the top of the eighth, but the Reddies broke the game open in the bottom half. Henderson scored five runs on five hits, two of which were home runs from Vilches and
Greyson Stevens, to open up an 11-2 advantage. That margin proved to be the final score, as Oswald rolled a double play to end the game in the ninth.
Henderson had nine hits in the game and five went for extra bases. In his last two games, Vilches has recorded four home runs and nine RBIs for the Reddies. HSU has outscored its opponents 42-15 during its six-game winning streak to open the season.
The Reddies will look to improve to 7-0 tomorrow when they host Northwest Missouri State at 11:00 a.m.
