ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - After being down 5-2 and having only seen three hits in the game, Henderson State used four unanswered runs, capped off by a Brooke Johnson walk-off single, to defeat East Central in game one of the weekend series, 6-5. The Reddies used two home runs and a critical double to climb their way back. 

With Senior Day tomorrow, Monica Monreal played one of her best games of the season in her final weekend at Dee White Field, going 2-for-2 at the plate, including picking up her fourth home run of the year. Both hits registered an RBI as Monreal finished with a pair. Madison Treutlein delivered two doubles, including a crucial one late in the contest.

Monreal got her evening started quickly, delivering a single on her first at-bat to score Justine Burch, who walked to lead things off, giving HSU the early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The Tigers responded to that with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second to tie things up, 1-1. From there, Henderson went cold, only claiming two more hits over the next four innings.

East Central took advantage, expanding its lead to 4-1 thanks to a three-hit, four-run top of the fourth. A solo home run from Monreal in the fourth stopped the bleeding momentarily before a two-on, two-out single from the Tigers in the fifth reestablished the three-run lead, 5-2.

David Martinez's group began their climb in the sixth. With things looking bleak, a Monreal walk spurred on a momentum-shifitng two-out double from Treutlein that scored pinch-runner Jordyn Holland. After that, ECU made a change at pitcher, to which Martinez responded with a change at the plate, sending Miyah Jackson to the dish for the new Tiger arm.

That change by the Reddie coach proved to be critical as Jackson gave HSU its second home run of the day and the tie, scoring Treutlein in the process to bring the tally to 5-5. After Henderson stranded two East Central base runners in the top of the seventh, a hit-by-pitch Crysta Larey to start the final at-bat ended up at second thanks to a Burch sacrifice bunt, bringing freshman Brooke Johnson to the plate.

Despite being 0-for-3 heading into her final at-bat and with two outs already on the board, Johnson delivered when it counted, hitting a ball to deep left center, just out of reach of the Tiger center fielder, to score Larey and set off the celebration.

Henderson St. (12-32, 9-16) will return to Dee White Field tomorrow in an attempt to take the series, with the first game of the day's doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. with the third and final game to follow.