ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - After Arkansas-Monticello forced a rubber match in the opening game of the doubleheader, Henderson State came back to win the third game 15-2 to clinch a series win over the Blossoms.
HSU (17-22) tied its largest margin of victory in GAC play in the 15-2 win over UAM in the third contest. The only other time the Reddies have won by 13 or more runs was back in 2015 when the team defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State by the same score, 15-2.
GAME ONE: UAM 5, HSU 3
UAM brought five batters to the plate in the bottom of the first, recording three hits and scoring two runs after starting the frame with a lead-off double to go ahead 2-0 early. The Blossoms added another run in the following inning to extend their advantage to 3-0.
Henderson got a run back in the third, with
Justine Burch advancing home during a run down at second. Burch reached first safely on a lead-off single and moved up to third on a walk and fielder's choice before scoring.
The Reddies pulled within one after
Jorika Alvarez doubled off the left field wall to score
Kaitlyn O'Quinn from third to cut UAM's lead to 3-2 in the top of the sixth. However, the Blossoms responded immediately in the bottom half, scoring two runs to extend their advantage to 5-2, heading into the seventh.
Trailing by two in the top of the seventh and down to its final two outs, HSU had runners on first and second after a single and walk by
Sophie Weaver and
Josie Copeland. The Blossoms pitched around the dangerous
Abbie Moore, who walked on four pitches to load the bases. HSU added one more run before its final two outs of the game, 5-3.
GAME TWO: HSU 15, UAM 2
Henderson did not waste any time to get going in the rubber match, scoring four runs across the first and second innings. Arkansas-Monticello replied to HSU's fast start with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second to cut the Reddies lead in half, 4-2.
HSU blew the game open in the top of the third with a six-run inning that featured a three-run blast off the bat of
Jorika Alvarez. The first run of the frame came on an error by UAM's shortstop, which allowed
Madison Treutlein to score from third. Two more runs came in off hits from O'Quinn and
Katelyn McMahan before Alvarez hit the big fly to center field.
Presley Applegate turned the ball over to
Brooke Johnson in the bottom of the third after going 2.0 frames and allowing two runs on five hits. Johnson, in her second appearance of the weekend, pitched the final 3.0 innings and gave up zero hits and zero runs.
The Reddies had another big inning in the top of the fifth, adding five more runs to their advantage, 15-2. Back-to-back singles to the left side by Treutlein and
Josie Golden scored the first two runs of the frame. Two more runs crossed home plate due to mistakes by the Blossoms' pitcher, who surrendered a pair of runs off a walk and hit by a pitch. Moore's only hit of the afternoon was an RBI single to score Henderson's final run of the series.
HSU meets rivals Ouachita Baptist in the midweek for the second installment of the Battle of Ravine on Tuesday, Apr. 11 at 5 p.m.
