BETHANY, Okla. - Henderson State splits Saturday's doubleheader, winning the final game of the three-game series 5-3 at Tere Webber Field.
HSU (18-25, 10-17) returns home for its final home series of the year against No. 22 Oklahoma Baptist at Dee White Field on Apr. 21-22.
Miyah Jackson, in her return to the Reddie lineup after being out with injury, had two hits across the doubleheader, all going yard with a solo home run in the first game and a grand slam in game two.
Kaitlyn O'Quinn finished the day 5-6 and had back-to-back multi-hit games.
GAME ONE: SNU 4, HSU 3
Henderson scored an early run in the top of the first, set up by a triple from O'Quinn, who scored on the next at-bat off a ground out from
Brooke Johnson. The Crimson Storm evened the game 1-1 in the second inning off an RBI single up the middle.
The Reddies retook the lead in the third 2-1 after recording three consecutive hits. Back-to-back singles by
Abbie Moore and O'Quinn placed runners on first and second with one out, and Johnson logged her second RBI of the day with a single to score Moore. HSU added to its advantage in the following frame off a solo shot from Jackson to extend Henderson's lead to 3-1.
After trailing most of the game, Southern Nazarene took the lead late in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run inning to go ahead 4-3. The Crimson Storm loaded the bases with one out and cleared them on a three-run double to right-center field.
GAME TWO:
HSU 5, SNU 3
The Reddies raced ahead to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first, thanks to a grand slam off the bat of Jackson. HSU loaded the bases with no outs after Moore, O'Quinn and Johnson all singled, bringing the clean-up hitter Jackson to the plate, who sent a four-run blast over the right-center field wall.
Meagan Allen locked up the Crimson Storm bats early, allowing zero runs and three hits through the opening three frames. However, SNU got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two runs to cut HSU's lead to three, and added another run in the fifth to trail 5-3.
Allen gave up a lead-off walk to start the sixth but bounced back, retiring the side, getting a pair of pop-ups and a ground out. Leading by two heading into the bottom of the seventh, the right-handed pitcher stuck out two of the three final outs, including the last out of the game to secure a 5-3 win for the Reddies.
