SEARCY, Ark. — Henderson State scored multiple runs in each inning and never trailed Saturday en route to a 21-5 7-inning victory over Harding in Game 2 of the GAC Championship Series.
With the win, the Reddies have forced the winner-take-all third game to determine the GAC champion and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. First pitch from Jerry Moore Field is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Sunday.
HSU wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as
Alex Galvan hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring
Luke Farrar.
Jaxson Gregg, starting his first game of the tournament, driving a three run home run to left field, giving the Reddies a 4-0 advantage before the Bisons ever came to the plate. Harding answered with back-to-back home runs in the bottom half of the first, but that was as close as their deficit came.
The Reddies answered with back-to-back RBI singles in the second from
Jeremy Schork and
Dylan Block. Schork later scored on a Javier Lobo wild pitch.
The third inning featured
Cal Jones scoring after a crazy play: Jones advanced to second on a wild pitch, then scored after a two base throwing error by Harding.
Luke Rice later drove in Farrar with an RBI single.
Louis Holt drove in two runs with a base hit in the fourth, which was immediately followed by a Farrar two run double, capping off the second four run inning in the game for the Reddies.
Jones was responsible for the Henderson runs in the fifth, driving in
Alex Galvan and Schork and chasing Harding's third pitcher of the day.
HSU scored three runs in the sixth, with a
Dylan Block RBI single, an
Alex Galvan RBI double, and a Gregg sacrifice fly.
The hit parade continued in the seventh inning, as Rice drove in a run and scored in the inning, thanks to a Schork RBI single and a Galvan bases loaded walk.
Cole Rodriguez (6-2) went the distance on the mound for the Reddies, going seven innings and ceding five runs; the senior from Tomball, Texas struck out five Bisons hitters while surrendering just two walks and retired six of the final eight batters he faced. Javier Lobo (2-1) drew the loss for Harding, as the Bisons threw five pitchers on the day.
