Henderson State University came to Tech Field in Russellville and took 2-of-3 games in a Great American Conference-opening baseball series with the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys on Friday and Saturday.
The Reddies (10-6 overall, 2-1 GAC) defeated the Wonder Boys 4-1 on Friday night and 11-9 in the series finale on Saturday evening.
Arkansas Tech (10-8, 1-2) took the middle game of the series 3-2 on Saturday afternoon.
The series opener went to extra innings tied 1-1. Connor Brackhahn put the Reddies in front 2-1 with an RBI double in the top of the 10th. Michael Corso drove in two insurance runs later in the frame with a double.
HSU relief pitcher Dustin Hudson pitched around a one-out walk to retire the Wonder Boys without incident in the bottom of the 10th.
Game two of the weekend set was tied 1-1 until Tech’s Madison Beaird delivered an RBI ground out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Cesar Abreu came home with the go-ahead run and the Wonder Boys led 2-1.
Nate Wilder made it 3-1 when he drove in Beaird by grounding into a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the seventh.
Henderson State got one run back on an RBI single by Garrett Eller in the top of the eighth inning, but that was all that the Wonder Boys would yield.
Tech starting pitcher Caleb Powers (4-0) allowed two Reddie runs, one of which was earned, on eight hits in eight innings. Jonathan Finnegan pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Wonder Boys to earn his first save of the season.
The rubber match of the three-game series tilted in Henderson State’s favor when it scored four runs on six hits in the top of the seventh and final inning to take an 11-9 lead.
The Wonder Boys went down in order in the bottom of the seventh and the Reddies left town with a series victory.
Arkansas Tech will return to the baseball diamond on Tuesday, March 6, when it hosts Quincy University for a non-conference doubleheader at Tech Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Click here to learn more about Wonder Boys baseball.
]]>
