GAME COVERAGE LINKS
 
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State takes a break from league play when it returns to Dee White Field to face Union University of the Gulf South Conference Wednesday, March 16 beginning at 2 p.m. with the second game of the twin bill to follow.
 
REDDIES REPORT
The Reddies are coming off back-to-back losses by a combined two runs, falling to Harding in Searcy, Arkansas, 3-2 and 4-3. The 4-3 outing extended into an extra eighth inning before the Lady Bisons used a walk-off single to complete the weekend sweep.
 
Monica Monreal had the best week of anyone at the plate for Henderson, going 4-for-9 with 3 RBIs and one run. In addition to her work as a hitter, Monreal also pitched a complete game where she only allowed six hits and three runs while striking out five Lady Bisons batters.
 
Justine Burch and Brooke Johnson are both tied for the team-lead in hits with 23, followed by Abbie Moore (21). Moore does pace the clubhouse in runs (11), RBIs (15), home runs (5) and on-base percentage (.400). The junior third-baseman is tied for eighth in the GAC with her five homers.
 
For a team that has played 15 of its 26 games this season at Dee White Field, Wednesday's twin bill against Union will be HSU's first home game since Saturday, Mar. 5 when the Reddies defeated Arkansas-Monticello, 5-3, behind Moore's two RBIs and two walks after going 1-for-2 at the plate.  
 
SCOUTING UNION
This will be the first ever meeting between Union and Henderson State. Comparing similar opponents, the Bulldogs lost to Delta St. to open the 2022 season, 8-2, while HSU split a doubleheader against the Lady Statesmen in Cleveland, Mississippi, at the start of this month with the Reddies taking game one, 11-8, before DSU took the second contest, 6-2.
 
Union comes into Wednesday's games riding a three-game winning streak after defeating West Georgia in the final game of that weekend series before sweeping a doubleheader versus Miles College. Prior to this current streak, the Bulldogs had lost six straight.
 
Laken DiStefano leads Union from within the circle with a 2.76 ERA, while Olivia Baker has seen the most work on the Bulldog pitching staff, throwing 38.1 innings and leading the team with 34 strikeouts. At the plate, Macey Neal boasts a team-best .377 batting average along with 20 hits to lead the clubhouse. Union has four batters hitting .345 or better.