ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — No. 11 Henderson State won the first game of Saturday's doubleheader with Northwestern Oklahoma State to clinch its fourth GAC series victory of the season at Clyde Berry Field.
The Reddies held on to defeat the Rangers 7-6 before falling 9-3 in extra innings in the series finale. HSU is now 19-5 on the year and 11-4 in GAC play.
Henderson returns to action on Tuesday at 6 p.m. when it travels to Russellville, Arkansas to face Arkansas Tech in a midweek non-conference contest.
GAME 1: Henderson State 7, NWOSU 6
The Reddies scored seven runs in the first two innings of game one, and then held off a rally from Northwestern Oklahoma, to defeat the Rangers 7-6 and clinch the weekend series in Arkadelphia.
Greyson Stevens and Nick Butler each finished with two hits and two RBIs for HSU. Stevens hit a two-run home run in the second inning. Ethan Perry earned the win in relief of starter Cade Tucker, who pitched four innings and allowed five runs on seven hits.
Arkadelphia-native Brayden Bebee proved to be the hero for the Reddies in the win, as he worked a scoreless final 3.2 innings to earn his third save of the season. Bebee allowed just one hit, struck out three batters and did not issue a walk.
HSU struck quickly on Saturday and used four hits to plate five runs in the first inning. Three of the five hits came with two outs, with Butler's two-RBI single being the biggest blow.
Already leading 5-0, Henderson tacked on two more in the second when Stevens blasted his sixth home run of the season over the wall in left center. His homer gave the Reddies a commanding 7-0 lead.
NWOSU refused to roll over and rapidly found its way back into the game. The Rangers got a run in the third on a solo home run, then scored four more in the fourth to trim the deficit down to 7-5 in just two innings. Three of Northwestern's runs came on a two-out home run in the fourth.
The Rangers crept even closer in the fifth on an RBI groundout which cut the Reddies' lead down to 7-6, but that proved to be the final run of the game for either side. The two teams combined for just one hit in the last four frames, with Bebee rising to the occasion to shut the door for Henderson.
The Reddies had seven hits in the game — all of which came in the first three innings.
GAME 2: NWOSU 9, Henderson State 3 (8 Inn.)
In what was a tightly contested game throughout, Northwestern Oklahoma scored six runs in the eighth inning to pull away late and salvage a game in the weekend series, 9-3.
The Reddies got off to a good start in the seven-inning contest, scoring two runs on RBI singles from Jacob Carroll and Pate Fullerton in the second to take a 2-0 lead.
The Rangers got a two-out, two-RBI triple, followed by an RBI bunt single, to seize a 3-2 lead in the fifth, but its lead was short-lived. Henderson responded in the bottom half on a two-out RBI double of its own from Bryson Haskins to tie the game at 3-3.
After neither side could win it in the seventh, the game moved into the extra eighth inning. It was then that NWOSU took control, as it used a two-run home run and two HSU errors to plate six runs and go in front, 9-3. Four of the six runs in the inning for the Rangers were unearned.
Fullerton and Dillon Thomas each had two hits to lead the Reddies at the plate. Starter Ryan Galvan got a no-decision by going 4.1 innings and allowing three runs on three hits. Galvan struck out six batters.
