Conway, Ark. - Hendrix split its doubleheader with fifth-seeded Oglethorpe on Friday evening at Bear Stadium to force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Friday morning in their Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Quarterfinal series.
The Warriors found themselves up against the ropes early in Game 1, trailing 7-1 after three innings played. After cutting Oglethorpe's lead to 8-6 in the 6th, Hendrix gave up six runs across the 7th and 8th innings and could only scratch one run across in the 9th before eventually falling 14-7.
With their season on the line in Game 2, Hendrix once again was on the backfoot early as Oglethorpe carried a 2-0 lead into the 3rd inning.
After
Joseph Watts and
Adam Bland reached to lead off the bottom of the 3rd,
Zach Marriott brought in Watts with a sacrifice fly to left field. Bland would be left stranded on third base.
The tying run came across for Hendrix in the next inning.
Hogan Ralston slapped a one-out single through the right side and eventually reached third base on a wild pitch and a passed ball.
Austin Rabago allowed Ralston to score the tying run after inducing a throwing error by the second basemen as the Stormy Petrels tried to throw Ralston out at home.
The Warriors took the lead in the bottom of the 5th as Bland, Marriott, and
Owen Shaw loaded the bases with one out.
Ian Guthrie smoked a sacrifice fly out to centerfield to bring in Bland and give Hendrix the lead, but Marriott and Shaw would be left stranded on the base path.
Hendrix put up a 3-spot in the 6th inning after Rabago and
Charlie Deaton led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Watts laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third, and Rabago soon scored off a wild pitch to give the Warriors a two-run lead. Deaton would then score off an
Adam Bland RBI single, with Bland scoring the sixth run from third base after Marriott grounded out to the pitcher.
The Warriors added one more insurance run in the bottom of the 8th as
Drake Job singled up the middle to score Deaton and give them a 7-2 lead.
Hendrix walked away winners in Game 2 after outhitting the Stormy Petrels 9 to 2, but the highlight of the game was
Dylan Kalmus. The freshman entered in relief of
Aiden Leggett in the 4th inning and was untouchable across 6.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with 10 strikeouts. When the Warriors needed it most, Kalmus delivered in what was one of the great pitching performances of the season for the Orange and Black.
Up Next: Hendrix and Oglethorpe will play an elimination game tomorrow at Bear Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas to determine who will advance to the final pod round in the SAA Playoffs next weekend.
