ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Senior Monica Monreal had a senior day to remember, delivering a three-run bomb and two-run, game-tying missile in game two, yet the Reddies came up just shy in both of the day's games, 2-0 and 9-8, with the second game going to extra innings in jaw-dropping fashion.
 
Monreal saw her best day at the plate this season, going 3-for-6 across the two contests, including a pair of multi-homers, serving up five RBIs in the latter game. The five runs brought in was a career high for the Ennis, Texas, native, while two homers in one game is the most she's seen since her freshman year.
 
Henderson St. (12-34, 9-18) will play two final conference series' on the road, but first, HSU will take a trip to Commerce, Texas, to face No. 19 Texas A&M-Commerce in a mid-week doubleheader Wednesday, April 20 beginning at 3 p.m.
 
Game 1: East Central 2, Henderson State 0
Outside of a bases-loaded jam that HSU pitcher Savannah Carrigan was able to work her way out of unscathed in the top of the first, game number two of the series and game one of the day showed to be a pitcher's duel with as neither team claimed a hit in the second or third inning.
 
The Tigers posed another threat in the fourth, but Carrigan once again kept the game scoreless, but HSU left two of its game-total 11 runners stranded in the bottom half to keep goose eggs on the scoreboard.
 
The threat finally broke through for ECU in the sixth, as a two-run homer in the sixth stood to be the difference. Henderson had what looked like two opportunities to at the very least tie the game if not take the lead, but runs evaded HSU as the Tigers forced the rubber match, 2-0.
 
Game 2: East Central 9, Henderson State 8
Monreal quickly ended the run of scoreless endings for the Reddies, sending a massive shot over the left-field wall in the first inning off of back-to-back singles from Justine Burch and Lexi Trejo to claim a quick 3-0 lead for the home team.
 
That proved to be the outlier on the day, however, as the plate evaded HSU for an extended amount of time as HSU only saw one more hit the rest of the way, allowing ECU to mount a comeback and then some, scoring eight unanswered runs to see an 8-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
 
With onlookers having already made dinner plans, a little senior-day magic breathed new life into the game. With rain starting to fall, so did the walks start to come for the Reddies. Three of the first four final batters for HSU got on courtesy of a walk before Lexi Trejo hit a dying pop-up down the right field line that somehow managed to stay in the field of play, scoring two runners.
 
With two runners on, a groundout on the next batter scored one more run while the Tigers still maintained a semi-comfortable 8-6 lead with two outs showing. Monreal made it very uncomfortable for ECU very fast as the senior hit a blast over left center for her second homer of the day, tying the game at 8-8 before a third out signified extra innings.
 
With an new burst of life coming from the third-base dugout, a quick but effective one-run, two-hit top of the eighth left HSU needing two runs to put the finishing touches on the finale. After an error from East Central's right fielder put Erika Bittinger on, yet another walk put two on with just one out.
 
The ECU relief pitcher, who had already thrown over 160 pitches in the first game, found what little she had left in the tank to strikeout the final two Reddie batters and leave the miraculous comeback short, 9-8.