Henderson State sweeps series against Harding
SEARCY - Henderson State rallied from a four-run deficit, capped off by a three-run home run by Jordan Harris as the Reddies completed a threegame sweep of Harding winning 2-0 and 8-6, Sunday at Jerry Moore Field in Searcy, Ark.
After claiming the series in game one with a 2-0 win, the Reddies erupted for six runs in the top of the sixth of the finale.
In the final game, Harding scored for the first time in the series taking a 3-0 lead in the first-inning,
Henderson, 11-6 overall and 7-2 in the Great American Conference, got on the board in the third-inning when Zack Gray delivered a two-run home run to right field scoring Nolan Ryan who walked to lead off the inning,
The Bisons (5-12 and 1-8) tacked on a run in the fourth and two in the fifth increasing their lead to 6-2 before Henderson’s big sixth-inning.
With one-out in the sixth, Jackson Martin (El Dorado) started things for the Reddies with an infield single followed by walks issued to Bryson Haskins and Joseph Shepherd to load the bases.
After relief pitch Mason Faulkner recorded a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Caleb Carr singled up the middle driving in two runs. Brandon Pollock kept the inning alive with an infield single to set the stage for Harris’ blast to left field to give the Reddies the lead.
Kris Priddy entered the game in the fifth-inning relieving starter Zach Eschberger and held Harding scoreless through the sixth.
Taylor Langston (Parkers Chapel) finished the game pitching the final inning striking out three batters in picking up his fifth save of the season and second of the day, with Priddy picking up the win to improve to 3-1.
In the first game, the Reddies jumped out to a 1-0 lead as Harris delivered a one-out double in the first-inning. Harris proceeded to steal third and then scored on wild pitch,
In the second-inning, Shepherd led off with an infield single and stole second base. After Brentten Schwaab walked, Shepherd scored on Nolan Ryan bunt that was misplayed by Harding third baseman Grant Guest to increase the lead to 2-0.
Meanwhile, the Reddie pitchers were superb with Daniel Sprinkle pitching the first six innings, surrendering four hits while striking out two batters.
Harris went to the mound and held Harding in check in the seventh and eighth-innings with Langston working the ninth and retiring the side in order, striking out the final batter of the game.
Offensively, Harris finished the day with four hits including a double, home run and three runs batted in. Gray had two hits with a home run and a pair of RBI, while Haskins also had two hits.
Henderson State returns home on Tuesday for a non-conference contest against Union University with the first-pitch set for 4 p.m. at Clyde Berry Field.