ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – After putting up just one run in the first game, Henderson State's offense came alive in the second contest of the afternoon as the Reddies split the day's doubleheader against East Central, 4-1 and 19-0.
 
Luke Rice and Colton Patterson both finished the latter contest one hit shy of the cycle as Rice needed a single while Patterson needed a home run to reach the threshold. As a team, Henderson rattled off 18 hits, including four from Greyson Stevens, and 17 RBIs, six of which were courtesy of Rice. Henderson delivered eight multi-base hits in the offensive onslaught.
 
Two of Stevens' four hits were doubles as he is now second on the program's all-time doubles list with 49 after notching three two-base knocks on the day. The Pottsville, Arkansas, native now needs four more doubles to add to his list of broken program records.
 
Andrew Howard (4-3) earned the shutout victory on the mound in the afternoon's final outing, going a complete seven innings while allowing just one hit and striking out four Tiger batters.
 
Henderson St. (17-12, 9-8 GAC) will return to Clyde Berry Field tomorrow for game three of this weekend's series against East Central in what will be the rubber match as HSU looks for its fourth league series victory of the season.
 
GAME ONE: East Central 4, Henderson St. 1
The Reddies were unable to get their bats going in the series kick-off as ECU was the first team to get on the board with a two-out single to jump ahead 1-0 through two and a half innings. Stevens got the scoring started with a two-out RBI double in the third.
 
Starting pitcher Ryan Galvan kept the game at a 1-1 tie through the next three innings, sitting down the next nine Tiger batters in order. Henderson could not take advantage of the defensive effort, however, as play remained at a deadlock into the seventh frame.
 
A home run in the top of the seventh gave the visitors the two-run edge it needed, adding an extra insurance run in the eighth to see the three-run advantage, 4-1. The score would remain untouched in the final inning and a half as East Central took the series-opening game.
 
GAME TWO: Henderson St. 19, East Central 0
Similar to game one of the twin bill, offense started slow for both teams as it was the Reddies' turn to take a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the third. This time, however, Henderson's bats caught fire with a seven-hit, nine-run home-half of the third that featured the team-executed cycle, including a triple and home run from Rice.
 
Starting pitcher Howard continued to allow the HSU offense to do its thing with a fourth-straight three up, three down inning in the top of the fourth before Henderson delivered another crooked number. Six hits and eight runs later, an 18-0 lead was established before play even moved to a fifth inning.
 
Another hitless inning from the Tigers gave way to the Reddies' final run of the afternoon with a Cade Tucker solo home run to reach the season-high 19th run. From there, Howard slammed the door shut, not allowing another hit from ECU over the final one and a half innings as the righty faced just 22 batters in the seven-inning contest.