WEATHERFORD – SWOSU Baseball split Saturday's doubleheader against Henderson State to conclude the opening week of conference action.
After suffering a thorough defeat in the day's first game, the Bulldogs rebounded to beat the Reddies in the series finale to avoid the sweep and earn a much-needed GAC victory.
SWOSU is now 9-4 on the season and 1-2 in league play. They conclude a 13-game homestand and will hit the road next weekend to face Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, Arkansas for more GAC play.
Game One – HSU 13, SWOSU 5
The Reddies scored the game's first 11 runs before SWOSU finally got the offense going, but by then it was too late. The visitors used a trio of big innings to build the lead, scoring three in the third inning and another four in both the fifth and sixth.
The visitors ended with 12 hits, three for extra bases, as their offensive output. They benefited from four Bulldog errors on defense.
Zane Leonard (L, 1-1) threw 3.2 innings before giving way to the bullpen. Josh Fluet, Jackson Blue, and Micah Ford made appearances in relief.
Campbell Sullivan had three hits in the game, including two doubles, and drove in three. Ty Eastwood also doubled twice in the late innings. The Dawgs finished with nine hits.
Game Two – SWOSU 4, HSU 1
Jackson Phillips (W, 3-0) gave SWOSU a complete game in the series finale to earn a much-needed win and avoid the series sweep. He struck out five, walked three and scattered five hits.
The Reddies got on the scoreboard in the first inning following some small ball and then were held scoreless the rest of the way. SWOSU responded immediately by erasing the deficit with two runs in the bottom of the first. Justin Breen doubled in a pair of runs with two outs, plating Jackson Syring (HBP) and Sean Monsour (1B).
Leading 2-1, the Dawgs added two more runs of insurance in the fifth. Campbell Sullivan walked and Eric Foufoulas was hit by pitch with the bases loaded to bring in the runs.
After a leadoff double in the fifth, Phillips sat down the next nine batters in order to end the game. The final out of the game came via 4-6-3 double play to nullify a leadoff walk.
SWOSU ended with five hits, one more than HSU's four. Five different Bulldogs were responsible for the hits.
