CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | ENID, Okla. – Henderson State staved off elimination at the 2018 Great American Conference Baseball Championship as Second- Team All-GAC pitcher Zach Eschberger led the Reddies to a 9-5 win against Southwestern Oklahoma State on Sunday from David Allen Memorial Ballpark.
The left-hander threw 6.2 innings, scattered six hits and allowed two earned runs to pick up his seventh win of the season. He struck out seven and walked only two. Eschberger got offensive support from the top of the HSU (30-19) lineup as leadoff hitter Caleb Carr went 4-for-5 and Nolan Ryan went 3-for-5 behind him with a home run, a double and three RBI.
Henderson State dented the plate in the first inning as Carr led off with a double and came around to score on a Zack Gray base hit into center field. A throwing error by Bulldog (24-23) second baseman Brady Burtner allowed Ryan to cross the plate for a 2-0 Reddie advantage.
The Reddies tallied another run in the second when Ryan hit a double in the left-center gap to score Carr. SWOSU starter Brendan Peitsmeyer lasted just 1.2 innings after he allowed the three runs plus five hits and issued a walk. Justin Moreno came in and worked 5.2 innings of relief one day after recording two scoreless frames in Saturday’s win against Arkansas-Monticello.
SWOSU cut the Henderson State advantage to 3-2 when GAC Newcomer of the Year Alex Pimentel hit a two-run shot off Eschberger in the third inning. The Reddies restored its three-run cushion in the fifth as Burtner’s second errant throw of the game allowed Dylan McCain to score. A passed ball allowed Brentten Schwaab to score the Reddies’ fifth run of the contest..
The Bulldogs capitalized on two HSU defensive mistakes in the seventh inning to score a pair of runs. After Robert Perea reached on an error by shortstop Brandon Pollock, Bryan Miranda took an Eschberger the opposite way into left-center for an RBI triple. Miranda scored when Ryan misplayed a ground ball to cut the lead to 5-4.
The Reddies extended their lead to five in the eighth with a four-run frame that saw Ryan hit his fourth home run.
HSU closer Taylor Langston took over for Eschberger in the seventh and pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn his league-leading ninth save of the year. Langston’s only mistake came with two outs in the ninth when Pimentel hit his second home run of the game.
Henderson State will play Southern Arkansas Monday at 3:30 p.m. while Southwestern will face the loser of Sun night’s Oklahoma Baptist-Arkansas Tech game on Monday at noon.