MONTICELLO, Ark. — No. 6 Henderson State led 8-1 in the sixth inning on Friday at UAM, but the Weevils rallied and walked off the Reddies 9-8 in 12 innings in the first game of the GAC series.
The loss is the first of the season for HSU and snaps a school record 14-game winning streak. The Reddies are now 14-1 overall and 6-1 in conference play.
Greyson Stevens led HSU with three hits, three RBIs and a home run. David Vilches and Cade Tucker each had two hits and Nick Butler finished with two RBIs. Spencer Taack earned a no-decision on the mound after pitching 5.2 innings and allowing three runs on four hits. Taack struck out five UAM batters.
Leading 2-1, Henderson got going on the road with a big fifth inning. HSU scored six runs on four hits in the frame, including two home runs from Stevens and Tucker, to take a commanding 8-1 advantage.
UAM got two runs back in the sixth to cut the lead down to 8-3, then flipped the script on the Reddies in the eighth when the Weevils used four hits and four walks to plate five runs and tie the game, 8-8. Monticello had an opportunity to do further damage in the inning, but a strikeout by Henderson reliever Andrew Howard left the bases loaded.
Neither side could get anything going in the ninth or tenth, but the Reddies had a chance to take the lead in the 11th when back-to-back two-out singles from Vilches and Tucker put runners on the corners. The hit they needed was nowhere to be found, however, as a pop up ended the frame.
HSU stranded the Weevils' winning run on second base in the bottom half of the inning and again had a chance to grab the led in the 12th after a leadoff hit batter and a throwing error on a pick-off throw by the UAM pitcher. With a runner on second and no outs, the Reddies were unable to bring the go-ahead run home as two strikeouts and a ground out ended their scoring chance.
Monticello took advantage in its half of the 12th. A single and a walk put the winning run in scoring position with only one out and a single to centerfield scored the game-winning run for the Weevils. Henderson had a chance to get the runner at the plate, but the throw one-hopped the catcher and allowed UAM's runner to slide in safely.
Howard took the loss on the hill for the Reddies but put forth a strong relief effort with a final line of four innings pitched, four hits, one run and five strikeouts.
Henderson will look to bounce back tomorrow at 12 p.m. when it faces the Weevils for a doubleheader.
