ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State secures a spot at the GAC Tournament for the first time since 2018 with its 7-1 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State in the series finale and clinches the series win 2-1.  

Before the first pitch of Saturday's game, HSU honored seniors Katelyn McMahan, Savannah Carrigan, Jorika Alvarez, Meagan Allen, Bre Jones and Jodi De Hart. 
 
HSU (22-29, 13-20 GAC) outhit the Bulldogs 9-to-3 and overcame a 3-to-1 error deficit behind shutdown pitching from Savannah Carrigan and Presley Applegate. Carrigan got the start in her final game at Dee White Field and went 4.0 innings, allowing three hits and just one run. Applegate recorded her third save of the season in relief, surrendering zero hits and runs over 3.0 frames.
 
Hilary Akers recorded her second consecutive multi-hit game of the series with a 2-4 day at the plate. Jodi De Hart and Raylee Carey joined Akers with two hits each and combined for six RBIs and three runs scored.
 
SWOSU was on the board early in the top of the first, taking a 1-0 lead on its first two at-bats after back-to-back singles. Through the first three innings, the red-and-grey tallied three hits and four baserunners, including two in the second, but could not find the breakthrough hit.
 
Henderson loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth in its first four at-bats before Carey's bases-clearing double to left center field made it 3-1. An error by SWOSU's catcher allowed the fourth run of the frame, as Carey reached home safely to stretch the lead to 4-1.
 
In the top of the fifth, Applegate took the circle in relief for Carrigan and provided the Reddies with a three-up and three-down inning.
 
The Reddies added another crooked number in the bottom of the fifth, with a three-run frame, to extend their advantage to 7-1. All three runs were scored on one play, as De Hart knocked an inside-the-park home run down the right field line, which scored Justine Burch and Katelyn McMahan.   
 
Applegate continued to give the SWOSU bats trouble as the Bulldogs went down in order for the second consecutive inning in the top of the sixth. Southwestern would record a baserunner in the seventh with two outs after a throwing error by De Hart, but Applegate would strike out the final batter of the game to clinch the series win and the last spot at the conference tournament. 
 
Henderson State will now turn its attention to the 2024 GAC Tournament at the Tiger Athletic Complex in Bentonville, Ark., where the Reddies will face the No. 5 seed Arkansas Tech Golden Suns on Thursday, May 2 at 10:30 a.m.