The Lady Reddies Softball Team Ends Weekend on a High Note

Courtesy Henderson State University Athletics Department

Henderson State ended the 7-State Softball Classic in dramatic fashion as the Lady Reddies beat Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Baptist to finish the weekend tournament with a 3-3 record. The Lady Reddies used a two-run walk-off home run by Sarah Gibson to beat Concordia-St. Paul 6-4, while Laura Mabary laced a bases loaded single to propel Henderson past Southwest Baptist 4-3. Henderson State quickly fell behind in the first game as the Golden Bears scored two runs in the top half of the first-inning with the help of a RBI double by Brynn Larsen and a run-scoring single by Bekah Roth. 

Henderson State, 6-10 on the season, got on the board in the second-inning with a solo home run by Kayla Williams. The Lady Reddies added three more runs in the third-inning to take a 4-2 lead. Shelbie Palmore and Gibson began the inning with back-to-back singles, followed by a two-run double by Mabary. Mabary later stole home for the final run of the inning. Concordia-St. Paul scored a run in the fourth-inning then tied the game in the sixth-inning on a solo home run by Tessa Ewert. 

The Golden Bears, 2-4 on the year, failed to score in the top half of the seventh. In the Lady Reddie seventh, Palmore walked to lead off the inning then Gibson blasted a two-run shot over the right-centerfield fence for her third hit of the game. Henderson collected a season-best 11 hits in the game. Aside from Gibson’s performance, Laura Beth Ray went 3-for-3 in the game. 

Kasey Carlock went the distance in the circle striking out six batters improving her record to 3-5 on the year. In the tournament’s finale, Henderson scored three runs in the first-inning as the Lady Reddies put together three straight singles.  Mabary again was the spark for Henderson by producing a one-out single. Katey Gorsage and Katie Hulan followed with base hits to load the bases. Mabary scored when Williams grounded out to second-base. Both Gorsage and Hulan then crossed the plate on a Southwest Baptist fielding error.

Southwest Baptist, 2-4 on the season, scored two runs in the third-inning and a single run in the sixth to tie the score at 3-3. In the bottom of the seventh, Henderson loaded the bases as Kailey Johnson led the inning off with a walk, while both Palmore and Gibson singled to load the bases to set the stage for Mabary’s game-winner. Mabary was 3-for-4 in the game, while Hulan had two hits to account for five of Henderson’s eight hits.  Gibson ended the six-game tournament going 8-for-18 at the plate with two home runs and three RBI. Mabary was 7-for-19 with a pair of doubles and three runs batted in, while Williams and Gorsage had home runs in the three-day event. Henderson State will begin Great American Conference play when the Lady Reddies play host to Ouachita Baptist in a four-game series beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dee White field.

 

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