ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - Holding a slim 3-2 lead after six innings, Henderson State rattled off seven runs over the next two frames, including a five-run bottom of the eighth, to defeat Arkansas-Monticello 10-2 in game two of the first round, best-of-three series of the 2023 GAC Tournament. The pair of wins advances HSU to the semifinal round in Springdale, Arkansas.
Henderson's hot streak only heated up more as Saturday's win marked HSU's seventh series victory in a row. The Reddies have not dropped a best-of-three conference stand since March 18. Since then, head coach
Cody Hooten's squad is 17-8 against conference opponents, including yesterday and today's wins.
For the second time in as many days, Reddie pitching delivered a masterful performance. Saturday's noteworthy players from the mound were
Andrew Howard and
Henry Coppens, who combined to allow just four hits and two runs while striking out eight batters.
Howard (7-3) recorded six strikeouts in six innings after allowing three hits and two runs. Coppens entered play in the seventh and earned his second three-inning save in back-to-back weekends and fifth of the season, striking out a pair while giving up just one hit.
Dillon Thomas saw his best two-game stretch of the season with his performance Saturday. After going for three RBI off two hits yesterday, the second-year Reddie from Cabot, Arkansas, led the team at the plate with a 3-for-5 day with two RBI and a double.
Luke Rice added two hits while pacing the squad with four RBI and a double. As a team, HSU logged four extra-base hits while holding UAM to zero extra-base knocks.
The first inning came and went quickly behind a pair of three up, three downs from both sides before Henderson got the scoring started in the second. Thomas continued his strong play from game one with a lead-off single in his first at-bat of the contest before
Louis Holt delivered a one-out double with two on to score Thomas. One batter later,
Colton Patterson delivered an RBI-groundout for the 2-0 lead.
Arkansas-Monticello threatened to cut into the lead in the third, loading the bases with just one out before a fly-out followed by a line drive straight to shortstop
Logan Cowart got HSU out of the inning unscathed. Thomas took advantage of the good defensive play in the third with his second hit of the day on a two-out double down the left-field line to score
Greyson Stevens.
The Reddies held on to the three-run advantage before UAM came through with two runs in the fifth. That was all Monticello was able to muster as Howard struck out final Weevil batter for the last out with two runners on to keep the lead in hand. A scoreless sixth that saw HSU strand two base runners of its own kept it a one-run game with three innings remaining.
A change at pitcher for Henderson in the seventh yielded another scoreless at-bat for the visitors before the Reddies really opened up the scoring. A pair of hits plus a walk and a wild pitch plated two runs before the red-and-gray added five hits in the eighth to add five more to bring the lead to 10-2. Henderson scored its final three runs on two outs as Arkansas-Monticello was unable to cut into the lead in the final half-inning.
Henderson St. will now await the winner of top-seeded Southern Arkansas and the eight-seed Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm as the first semifinal game of GAC Tournament action will be played at Arvest Ballpark Thursday, May 11 at 1 p.m. Southeastern leads the best-of-three series against the Muleriders, 1-0.
