MANKATO, Minn. —  A late inning offensive surge wasn't enough Saturday as Henderson State fell to Minnesota State by the final score of 10-5. With the loss, the Reddies have been eliminated from the Central Region Championship.

A fielding error on the first at-bat of the game opened the door for Minnesota State, as the Mavericks scored four runs, including a three run home run by Aidan Bryne. Back to back hits and a walk to load the bases ended the day for Reddie starter Cole Rodriguez, who managed just 1.2 innings before yielding to Payton Byrd. Byrd allowed three more Maverick runs in the fourth inning, all off a bases clearing double by Louis Magers.

HSU finally got a run across in the fifth inning; Nate Moore reached on an error to lead off the inning and later scored after a Luke Rice single. Minnesota State answered with a solo home run in the top of the sixth.

The Reddie bats eventually warmed up in the eighth, as Moore hit a two run home run off Maverick reliever Brandon Vicko. Henderson got another pair of runs across in the ninth, as Jeremy Schork went long to right-centerfield for a two run blast. With that home run, Schork tied the Henderson State single season record, equaling the 17 hit by David Vilches back in 2022.  

Schork's homer would be the last runs scored on the day, however, as a line drive double play ended the Reddies threat in the ninth. Henderson State finishes the season 32-24, runner up in the Great American Conference Championship, and qualifying for their second national tournament in four years.