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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Having split a conference doubleheader earlier this season, Henderson State eyes the season series win over rivals Ouachita Baptist when the Tigers visit Dee White Field on Thursday, Apr. 11 at 5 p.m.
 
REDDIES REPORT
HSU (17-24, 8-15 GAC) battled with Arkansas-Monticello, but after three closely contested games, the Blossom took two of three from the Reddies to win the series. UAM opened the three-game stand with a 3-2 win in game one and would win the second contest 10-8 after eight innings before Henderson won the final game 3-2 on a walk-off hit-by-pitch.
 
Jorika Alvarez continues to see the ball well at the plate, recording six hits over the series, including four in game two. The Dardanelle, Ark. native saw her batting average rise to .272 over the three games and has 28 hits on the year. Justine Burch stretched her hit streak to six games over the series with a hit in each game, finishing with four total knocks. Bruch leads the team with 16 RBIs and is second-leading hitter with 31 hits.
 
Presley Applegate recently got her second win of the season in game three against UAM to improve to 2-1 in the circle, following 6.2 shutout frames. In her last two appearances, including a start at Delta State, the sophomore has given up zero runs in 10.2 innings and has surrendered just four runs in the last 21.2 frames. The Reddies rank sixth across the conference in pitching this season, with a 3.48 team ERA and are seventh in strikeouts (164), led by Brooke Johnson with 36 punch outs. 
 
Henderson and Ouachita Baptist split the earlier meeting, with the Tigers seeing a 2-0 victory in game one before HSU evened things up with a 5-4 win in 10 innings. The Reddies have been excellent at home when facing the Tigers, having won four of the last five contests at Dee White Field, and are 15-5 in the last 20 home games.
 
SCOUTING OUACHITA BAPTIST
The Tigers snapped a six-game losing streak in the series finale against Harding, winning 7-6, but the Lady Bisons would take the series with 8-6 and 5-1 wins in games one and two. Ouachita Baptist is currently 12^th in the conference standings at 5-18 and is 10-30 overall.
 
OUA's leading hitter, Erin Williams, had two hits in the Harding series and is pacing the team with 42 knocks on the year, including eight doubles, three triples, and six home runs. Williams is batting a team-high .353 and slugging .622, which ranks seventh best across the GAC. The Tigers are hitting .242 as a team this season and have recorded the fifth-most doubles (49).
 
Pitching has been a struggle this season for Ouachita Baptist, as they rank 12^th with a 5.83 ERA. Hannah Hunter leads the Tigers with a 5-12 record in the circle in 23 appearances and has struck out a team-best 57 batters in 100.0 innings. Tuesday Melton has been the second most featured arm for the Tigers, with 67.0 frames pitched in 20 appearances. Melton has 30 strikeouts in 301 at-bats while opposing hitters are batting .326 against the junior.