Box Score (html)
 
ENID, Okla. – SWOSU Baseball was in the ball game almost all afternoon against Henderson State in the second round of the GAC Tournament, but surrendered four runs in the eighth inning and eventually fell 9-5 to the Reddies. The loss drops the Dawgs to the elimination bracket for the remainder of the tournament, where a single defeat will end their season.
 
The Bulldogs never held a lead in the game, but were within one run two separate times trailing 3-2 in the fifth inning and again at 5-4 until the home half of the eighth inning.
 
Henderson State opened the game up with a pair of first-inning runs against SWOSU starting pitcher Brendan Peitsmeyer, and scored another run an inning later to jump out to an early 3-0 lead. Peitsmeyer's outing was short-lived, as he managed just 1.2 innings pitched before he exited the game with two outs in the second inning.
 
Justin Moreno entered the game to pitch for the Dawgs with two outs in the second innings and a pair of runners on base, but he got his hitter to pop up to eliminate the threat. From that point on, Moreno gave SWOSU exactly what they needed out of the bullpen – which was a long outing from a single arm to preserve the rest of the pitching staff for the remainder of the tournament.
 
Moreno threw 5.2 innings on the day, and despite allowing four runs (three earned) in his outing, he kept the Bulldogs in the game as they attempted to claw their way back from their deficit. His final line ended with four strikeouts, two walks and seven hits.
 
Meanwhile, offensively the Bulldogs scored two runs in both the third and seventh innings and added another run in the ninth inning. Three of the five runs scored on the day were driven in by Alex Pimentel, who finished 4-for-5 with two home runs and a double.
 
Pimentel cut the deficit to one run in the third inning with a two-run home run to right field – one of two oppostite field four baggers he would hit in the game. SWOSU then had an opportunity with two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth inning trailing 3-2, but flied out to right field to strand three runners in the frame.
 
In the seventh, SWOSU again scored two runs when Bryan Miranda tripled in a run before a Henderson State fielding error in the infield allowed another run to cross. Trailing by one at 5-4 headed to the eighth, the Reddies finally got Moreno off of the mound and out of the game with a two-run home run.
 
Tyler Barnett came on and surrendered two more runs in the inning before it finally came to a close, but the damage was done. HSU's closer finished off the game to earn the save, but not before Pimentel connected on his second dinger of the game to finish the day's scoring off.
 
Pimentel finished with half of SWOSU's hits, while four other players notched one hit each. The Reddies outhit the Dawgs 13-8, led by the first two hitters in their lineup who combined for seven of those.
 
SWOSU (24-23) will now play the loser of the Oklahoma Baptist and Arkansas Tech game at noon on Monday (May 7) in Enid. With a win, the Dawgs would then play TBD at 7 pm later that evening.