ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Reddies used terrific defense Sunday morning to shut out the Mustangs of Midwestern St. in the final game for Henderson State in the 2022 HSU/OBU Tournament, 5-0. Erika Bittinger (1-0) claimed her first win of the season, pitching 5.0 innings where she only gave up four hits while striking out three Mustang batters.
 
Savannah Carrigan finished the job, relieving Bittinger for the final two innings, seeing four strikeouts on only eight batters faced. Lexi Trejo was the leader at the plate for the Reddies, as the second baseman from Van Buren, Arkansas, native went 2-for-3 with two runs.
 
The second inning is when HSU got things going after Bittinger worked three up, three down, thanks to one of two double plays from the Reddie defense. In the bottom of the frame, Bittinger showed her stuff at the plate, responding to a Monica Monreal walk by sending a double down the left-field line to place runners at second and third.
 
After a Trejo single loaded the bases, a rare double steal of home from pinch-runner Britlyn Garrett scored Henderson its first run of the ballgame. With zero outs facing the Reddies, Savannah Hughes made use of one of those outs, scoring Bittinger, before Jordyn Holland used a fielder's choice to score Trejo from third.
 
The score remained 3-0 in favor of HSU as Bittinger continued her work in the circle, only allowing three hits in the Mustangs' next three at-bats. In the bottom of the fifth, an Ashlyn Taylor double led way to Brooke Johnson's second double in as many days, scoring Taylor and bringing the tally to 4-0.
 
After a solid five innings of work, Carrigan came in relief, only to give up zero hits and strike out a pair of Mustangs to move play into the bottom of the sixth unscathed. The Reddies added one final insurance run off an MSU error, sending Trejo across the plate for the second time.
 
The home crowd did not have to wait long to celebrate Henderson's first victory of the season as Carrigan worked a quick three up, three down, two of which came via strikeouts yet again, in the final at-bat as the Reddies finished off the 2022 HSU/OBU Tournament with a win, 5-0.
 
Henderson St. (1-11) finishes off tournament play 1-2. The Reddies will return to Dee White Field to face No. 20 Texas A&M-Kingsville in a non-tournament contest Monday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m.