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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – After stealing a game from the GAC's top team in Southern Arkansas, Henderson State gears up for a massive mid-week conference bout against Ouachita Baptist that could have massive postseason implications with both teams vying for that coveted eighth spot. First pitch at Dee White Field is scheduled for 5 p.m.
REDDIES REPORT
Henderson snapped Southern Arkansas' 10-game winning streak Saturday with a 4-3 victory in game two of this past weekend's series. For the second straight game, the Reddies chased SAU's starting pitcher in the first inning, falling behind 4-0 as HSU held on for the 4-3 victory.
Savannah Carrigan was terrific in victory, allowing just one hit and one unearned run in five innings of work while claiming three strikeouts.
Erika Bittinger pitched the last two frames, holding onto the lead to earn her team-leading third save of the season. Carrigan continues to see her ERA fall, as she has allowed less than two runs in four of her last five appearances.
Tuesday will be the second-to-last GAC team HSU will face at Dee White Field, with East Central coming to Arkadelphia for a weekend series April 14-15 to close out the season's home stand before back-to-back road series' will finish off the 2022 regular season slate. The Reddies will host No. 2 Texas-Tyler in an out-of-conference midweek doubleheader Tuesday, April 12.
With eight teams making the end-of-year GAC Tournament, Henderson currently sits at ninth, one game out of eighth. Ouachita is in 11th, two games out of the eighth spot and one game back on HSU. With OBU already having a hold on the season-series tiebreaker, Henderson has to keep that one game cushion, starting with a much needed win Tuesday.
SCOUTING OUACHITA BAPTIST
Ouachita Baptist comes into Tuesday's duel after getting swept by Arkansas Tech at home and having lost five of their last six games away from Sully Anderson Field. On the year, the Tigers have only played six games on the road to the tune of a 1-5 record, compared to having gone 9-14 at home.
Like the Reddies, OBU has three batters seeing a batting average over .300, led by junior outfielder Hope Waid, who is hitting .370 in 22 games played. Waid went 4-for-5 at the plate in the pair of outings versus HSU earlier this season, seeing three runs in each contest.
The Tigers' pitching staff is led by ace Madison Miller, who has pitched 96.2 innings this season – 25.2 innings more than the next busiest Ouachita pitcher. Miller is Top-10 in the GAC in strikeouts with 85 as opposing batters are hitting just .264 off her, which is also Top-10 among the conference leaders.
