ARKADELPHIA -- Henderson State's pitching staff was dominant Tuesday night and errors proved costly for Ouachita Baptist as the Tigers scored just one run on seven hits in two losses, 3-0 and 8-1, to their Battle of the Ravine rival Reddies at Sully Anderson Field.
Henderson (28-19, 20-16 Great American Conference) got three hits in the opening 3-0 win from senior shortstop Bethany Allen, of Mineral Wells, Texas, and a transfer from Weatherford Community College. Senior Sydney Bonner (11-9), of Sheridan, allowed just three hits in the seven-inning, complete game win.
The Reddies wasted no time getting on the board. A one-out RBI double from Allen to left-center field scored freshman left fielder Kailey Reese, out of Rio Vista High School in Texas, to put Henderson in front, 1-0, in the bottom of the top of the first inning.
Allen again produced a run for Henderson after three scoreless innings. She singled up the middle in the fourth inning to score freshman center fielder Madie Green and push the Reddies' lead to 2-0.
Moments later, with runners on the corners, Henderson attempted a double steal as the team has done several times this season. Allen drew the catcher's attention on her attempted steal of second. An errant throw went into center field and Reese easily scored on the error to stretch Henderson's advantage to 3-0.
Sophomore second baseman Natalie Jackson, of Mansfield, Texas, broke up Bonner's no-hit bid in the bottom of the fifth inning with a single through the left side of the infield.
Bonner found herself in her only trouble of the afternoon in the seventh inning, when Ouachita used two hits to put runners on second and third base with no outs. She worked her way out of it with help from an unassisted double play from freshman second baseman Lindsey Williams, of Conway. With two away, the final batter for the Tigers (19-24, 15-21) grounded out to give the Reddies the 3-0 win.
Bonner earned her sixth complete-game win of the year. Allen was 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Green and Reese each had two hits.
Junior Marissa Butler (9-9), of Plano, Texas, was named the GAC Softball Pitcher of the Week on Monday after throwing a no-hitter and a separate perfect game as Ouachita swept visiting Northwestern Oklahoma State (12-30, 11-25). She allowed three runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and three walks in seven innings.
The Reddies got off to a fast start in the second game. First baseman Alexia Lopez, a senior from Odessa, Texas, and a transfer from Kilgore Community College, hit a double up the middle in the bottom of the first inning to score Allen and Reese, giving Henderson an early 2-0 lead.
Senior shortstop Madison Crosby, of Sheridan, answered for Ouachita in the bottom of the second inning. Her double to left-center field scored senior left fielder Paige Purifoy to bring the Tigers within one run at 2-1.
The Tigers were held scoreless for the rest of the game.
A single by Allen in the third inning scored Green. Junior third baseman Ashleigh Erb, out of Weatherford High School in Texas, scored in the fourth on a single by Green.
Erb picked up three RBIs of her own with a triple down the right field line to plate sophomore designated hitter Kaitlyn Felder, of Cabot; junior right fielder Alexis Morton, out of Princeton High School in Texas; and junior Brooklyn Jimeson, out of Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Fla. Erb scored the final run to make it 8-1 in the fifth on a single up the middle by Green.
Henderson had 11 hits on the day, while pitchers Kelsey Rhine (2-1), a junior out of Northwest High School in Justin, Texas, and freshman Mallory Brewer, a freshman from Smackover High School, held the Tigers to just four hits in the second game. Rhine gave up one run and one hit with two strikeouts and two walks in two innings. Brewer pitched the final five innings.
Over the two-game series, Ouachita committed four errors that led to runs for Henderson.
It was the first sweep for Henderson in softball in the Battle of the Ravine since 2004.
Henderson is scheduled for two doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday at Northwestern in Alva, Okla. Ouachita was scheduled for a night game Wednesday at Central Arkansas (22-19, 11-7 Southland Conference) in Conway before a pair of weekend doubleheaders at Southwestern Oklahoma State (9-33, 9-23).
Sports on 04/19/2018