CONWAY - Hendrix was unable to convert a series-opener win against Texas Lutheran into a series win over the weekend, as the Warriors dropped the final two games of the series to the league leaders.
Game 1 (W, 13-4)
Hendrix opened the series against their ranked opponents with a big win in the first half of Friday's doubleheader, out-hitting the Bulldogs 11-4 and riding a superb extended relief appearance from
Aiden Leggett (W, 5-1) out of the bullpen en route to a 13-4 win.
The game went scoreless until the visitor third when TLU plated two runs. Hendrix then came alive in the home half of the inning with four runs, highlighted by RBI doubles from
Shaun Pope and
Ryne Dodson to take a 4-2 lead. TLU tied it up in the next half inning, but Hendrix retook the lead in the home fifth when Dodson scored from third base on a fielding error by the Bulldogs. The floodgates opened in the sixth with a Hendrix six-spot.
Chase Harris singled to lead off the inning and scored on the next at-bat as
Zane Nolan ripped a triple down the right-field line.
Austin Rabago then singled in Nolan to give Hendrix a 7-4 lead. The Warriors took advantage of multiple miscues from TLU's pitching staff, namely wild pitches, that gave Hendrix free bases and put runners in scoring position without having to generate much offense. The final run of the inning came on a
Sebastian Liquori ground-out to bring in
Nick Echaniz.
Harris scored on a wild pitch in the home seventh, and Dodson scored from second on a freak failed pick-off attempt in the eighth for the final run of the game.
On the mound, it was Leggett who stole the show. The senior lefty twirled 5.0 innings of shutout ball, facing just one batter above the minimum while punching out seven TLU hitters.
Game 2 (L, 16-4)
TLU evened up the series in the second half of Friday's doubleheader, run-ruling the Warriors in seven innings. Hendrix managed nine hits on the evening, but three defensive errors proved costly as the Bulldogs scored 16 runs on 14 hits. TLU scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back, going wire-to-wire over the next six innings.
Shaun Pope's two-RBI double in the third cut TLU's lead to 5-2, but the game was well out of hand by the time Hendrix got back on the board.
Jacob Moody's sacrifice fly in the home seventh scored
Coby Holmes, and
Ryne Dodson collected an RBI in the same inning as he singled in Rabago to make it 16-4, but the Warriors were unable to score any more runs in that frame to fend off the run-rule.
Pope led Hendrix with a 3-for-4 game and two RBIs, while Holmes also recorded a multi-hit game by going 2-for-3 in the leadoff spot and scoring two runs.
Game 3 (L, 11-7)
TLU took the series with an 11-7 win in Saturday's series finale, out-hitting Hendrix 17-9. The Warriors' defense and pitching staff kept Hendrix in the game in the end as they limited TLU's ability to turn their 17 hits into more runs, but Hendrix was unable to make up the difference down the stretch.
After the Bulldogs took an early two-run lead with a two-run shot in the first, Hendrix leveled the affair with a two-run first as Pope doubled in
Zane Nolan and
Ryan Lang scored Pope on a sacrifice fly. Rabago then singled in
Reed Ketcham for the go-ahead run in the home second, but the Warriors were unable to manufacture any more offense in that frame as they left two runners on.
TLU scored five in the visitor third to take a commanding 7-3 lead, with four runs coming on a back-breaking two-out grand slam after the first two batters in the inning were retired. The Warriors cut the lead to one with a three-run fourth innings, but TLU beat back the hosts with three more runs in the fifth to go up 10-6. With the score at 11-6 heading into the home ninth, Hendrix loaded the bases with one out, but were only able to score one run in the inning with the tying run left in the on-deck circle.
Pope and Rabago led the Warriors offensively with two hits and two RBIs apiece.
