ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State falls short to Union in Wednesday's doubleheader, as the Lady Bulldogs take both games. UU won the first game 3-0 and would outlast the Reddies in the second contest, winning 4-2 in eight innings.
 
HSU (13-20, 5-12) begins a road stretch, starting at Harding on Mar. 29-30 for a three-game GAC series. The Reddies will play a doubleheader on Friday, beginning at 4 p.m., and conclude the series on Saturday at noon.  
 
GAME ONE: UU 3, HSU 0
A slow start by the Reddies defensively saw the Lady Bulldogs take a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Two hits would score UU's first run of the frame before an infield error by HSU plated the next two scores.
 
The Henderson bats were locked up by Union's starting pitcher, Lainey Baker, who faced the minimum through five innings. HSU's first baserunner of the game reached after getting hit by a pitch in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Henderson's lone hit came off the bat of Jorika Alvarez in the seventh with a single up the middle. The Reddies would have runners on first and second with one out but could not advance them further, as the Lady Bulldogs closed the door on the late rally with back-to-back outs.
 
Presley Applegate pitched a complete game and finished with five strikeouts and only allowed one earned run on nine hits.
 
GAME TWO: UU 4, HSU 2 (8 INN.)
The Lady Bulldogs held a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but the Reddies would soon tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the third. HSU began the frame with back-to-back outs before Lily Warren singled up the middle. The freshman would steal second and later take third after Emylee Bittinger worked a walk. Warren scored from third on the next at-bat on a throwing error by the UU catcher to tie the game.
 
The two sides traded runs in the following inning, with the score locked at 2-2. The Reddies' one run in the bottom of the fourth came from a ground out by Karlye Johnston to score Josie Copeland from third.
 
Starting pitcher Makenna Keeton kept the Lady Bulldog bats in check for the final three innings, retiring the side in order in the fifth, sixth and seventh. After working back-to-back walks to begin the half of the frame, HSU threatened to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth, but three consecutive outs would strand the pair.
 
Union, in extra innings, took the final lead of the game in the top of the eighth on three hits and an error, which plated two runs to put them ahead 4-2. Alvarez led the team with two hits, while Keeton went 8.0 innings with six strikeouts and gave up four runs on eight hits.