ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — In a doubleheader dominated by pitching and defense, Henderson State got enough of both in the seven-inning game to defeat Ouachita Baptist 2-0 and split Friday's doubleheader at Rab Rodgers Field.
There were a total of just seven runs scored between the teams in 16 innings of play on Friday as the Reddies (29-18, 20-12) and Tigers (23-23, 19-13) provided another two predictably tight and hard-fought editions of the Battle of the Ravine on the diamond.
Henderson State will look to win its ninth GAC series of the season and its sixth-straight series victory over Ouachita Baptist tomorrow at 12 p.m. when the two rivals meet in the rubber match across the street.
GAME TWO: Henderson State 2, Ouachita Baptist 0
Henderson State scored just two runs in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against rival Ouachita, but they proved to be more than enough, as the Reddies blanked the Tigers 2-0 to even the GAC series at one game apiece.
HSU got five shutout innings from starter Cole Rodriguez (5-2), who earned the victory after allowing just two hits and striking out two batters. Payton Byrd (13) slammed the door for the Reddies by pitching the final two innings and surrendering just one hit to the seven batters he faced. He earned his 13th save of the season, which leads all relievers in NCAA Division II this year.
The Reddies got going immediately when Luke Farrar hit a no-doubt leadoff home run on the first pitch of the game. The only extra base hit of the doubleheader for HSU proved to be decisive swing in the contest.
Henderson got its second run in the third inning on an RBI infield single from Dylan Block, who legged out the hit with two outs in the frame to give the Reddies a 2-0 advantage.
Ouachita was limited to just three hits in game two and never had more than one baserunner aboard at any point in the contest. HSU turned two double plays to keep the Tigers at bay in the first and fifth innings.
The victory was the third shutout of the season for the Reddies, who also held Oklahoma Baptist scoreless in a 9-0 win and blanked Southern Arkansas 4-0 last month.
GAME ONE: Ouachita Baptist 4, Henderson State 1
Henderson State fell short in a tightly contested series opener on Friday afternoon, dropping a 4-1 decision to rival Ouachita at Rab Rodgers Field.
The Reddies were held to just one run despite collecting eight hits, while the Tigers capitalized on timely hitting and a big fourth inning to secure the win.
HSU's lone run came in the top of the fifth when Jeremy Schork delivered a two-out RBI single to right, scoring Cal Jones and trimming Ouachita's lead to 3-1. Schork finished the day 2-for-4 with the Reddies' only RBI.
Ouachita struck first in the fourth inning with a solo homer from Reece McWilliams, followed by back-to-back RBI singles from Isaac Nowell and Wesley Scott to give the Tigers a 3-0 cushion. They added an insurance run in the seventh, taking advantage of a Henderson error to push the lead to 4-1.
Despite scattering 11 hits and drawing three walks, Ouachita was held in check for much of the game by a combination of five Henderson pitchers. Starter Ethan Roark took the loss, allowing three earned runs over 3.2 innings while striking out five. The Reddie bullpen combined to give up just one unearned run over the final 4.1 innings.