SEARCY, Ark. - For the first time since 2015, Henderson State wins a series over Harding in Searcy after outlasting the Lady Bisons 9-7 in 12 innings to take two out of three games from the series. 
 
Jay Albiter led the Reddies in hitting, recording five of the team's 16 hits, going 5-of-6 with three runs batted in and a run scored. Justine Burch went 3-4 with three RBIs, while Hilary Akers and Emylee Bittinger combined for three runs driven in. 
 
Makenna Keeton came in for relief in the fourth and pitched the final 9.0 innings, giving up only two runs on five hits to pick up her first win of the year. 
 
Henderson struck first and early in the first and second innings, taking a 3-0 lead. A leadoff walk by Jorika Alvarez, followed by a single from Lily Warren, would have runners on second and third after a passed ball. A fielder's choice scored the first run, and on the same play, a throwing error by HU's third baseman plated Warren to make it 2-0 in the first. In the second frame, Albiter's first hit of the game was an RBI single to left center to make it 3-0. 
 
The Lady Bisons replied in the bottom third to grab their first lead of the game, scoring five runs on three hits and two HSU errors. Both sides went scoreless in the fourth, but the scoring would pick up again in the fifth, as the Reddies added three more runs to go back ahead 6-5.
 
HSU began the top of the fifth with three consecutive singles, and a throwing error by Harding's shortstop would plate HSU's first run before Burch singled up the middle to score Alvarez and Mackenzie Williams. 
 
Harding battled back again in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game 6-6 with two outs in the inning. A scoreless seventh frame extended the games into extra innings, and after four scoreless frames, Henderson plated three deciding runs in the top of the 12th. 
 
With two outs, the Reddies had two runners on and the second hit of the day for Em. Bittinger made it 7-6, scoring Burch from second. A single to left field from Albiter plated two more runs to give HSU a three-run advantage heading into the bottom half, 9-6.  
 
The Lady Bisons put the pressure on Henderson with a one-out double followed by a walk. A single through the left side cut the Reddies lead 9-7, but a double play worked by the HSU defense would close the door on Harding's rally to secure the program's first series win over Harding in Searcy since 2015. 

HSU (15-21, 7-13) heads to Cleveland, Miss. on Tuesday for a midweek twin bill against the Lady Statesmen of Delta State.