ARKADELPHIA- After Ouachita Baptist took a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh, Henderson State answered back with a three-run seventh, taking a 10-7 victory, winning the Gulf South Conference baseball series, 2-1, Sunday at Clyde Berry Field in Arkadelphia.
Ouachita (17-15, 3-5 GSC West) went back and forth with Henderson State (16-11, 3-5 GSC West) in the first seven innings, but a three-run home run from Henderson State’s Richie Wood sealed the game in the final innings.
The Tigers started the game quickly on offense, scoring three runs in the first inning. Junior Kyle Zimmerman and sophomore Brock Green began the inning with recording singles, as Zimmerman came around to score on a throwing error to give Ouachita an early 1-0 lead. Senior Luke Hardcastle and junior Sam McGill followed with RBI singles to set the score at 3-0 in their first at-bat.
Henderson State answered with two runs each in the first and second to take a 4-3 lead, but Ouachita Baptist came back in the third with back-to-back doubles from Zimmerman and Green, as Green drove in Zimmerman on the hit to tie the game at 4-4.
A two-run home run from the Reddies’ Gip Hendrix put Henderson State back on top at 6-4 in the sixth inning. Then came the seventh inning where the game would ultimately be decided.
Ouachita Baptist scored the first of three runs when Zimmerman walked and scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 6-5 with one out. Senior Drew Baker then recorded an RBI on an error by the shortstop, scoring Hardcastle and senior Will Gowdy to take the lead at 7-6.
All the momentum would swing directly back to Henderson State on a three-run home run from Wood, setting the final score at 10-7.
Sophomore Zac Treece (5-4) took the loss for Ouachita, giving up three earned runs on four hits in one inning of relief action. Henderson State’s Alex Aguilar (3-1) recorded the victory, going 2 2/3 innings of relief without allowing a run.
Green finished at 3-for-5 for Ouachita with an RBI and run scored, while Zimmerman added a 2-for-4 performance with three runs scored.
Ouachita Baptist returns to Rab Rodgers Field on Wednesday to take on GSC-East opponent North Alabama (15-15) in a doubleheader that begins at 1 p.m. The matchup will count as a non-conference series.
