PITCHING WOES: NSU drops NCAA Tournament opener to Henderson State

Byron Beers, Tahlequah Daily Press, Okla.
·3 min read

May 20—MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Northeastern State struggled on the mound and fell to 16th-ranked and No. 3 seed Henderson State, 11-6, Thursday in its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance at Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field in the Central Region II Tournament opener.

The sixth-seeded RiverHawks (37-17) dropped their third straight game for just the second time this season. The other stretch came against Central Missouri from March 3-5.

NSU will play the (2) Southern Arkansas/ (7) Washburn loser in an elimination game Friday at 2 p.m. Washburn was leading the Muleriders, 10-5, in the fifth inning.

The Reddies (39-15) had a momentum-changing sixth inning where they scored four runs that broke a 5-5 tie. Bryson Haskins belted a one out, three-run homer to center field to sink the RiverHawks, who scored three runs to get even in the top-half of the inning. Haskins' long ball came on an 0-1 pitch from NSU reliever Cohen Bell and scored Dillon Thomas, who led off with a walk, and David Vilches, who doubled down the left field line.

NSU got all three of its runs in the sixth with two outs. Brayden Rodden smacked his 11th home run of the season to right center field, and Dylan Hight brought home a pair of runs on a single following a Matt Kaiser walk, a Tucker Dunlap hit by pitch and a Collin Klingensmith walk.

NSU pitchers Jonathan Smithey, Bell, and Cal Howard combined to allow 11 earned runs on 15 hits across 6.1 innings. In a starting role, Smithey gave up five earned runs on 10 hits in four innings, collected eight strikeouts and issued three walks. Quinten Romero pitched the only spotless inning in the eighth.

The RiverHawks scored the game's first run in the first inning on a Brock Reller single through the right side of the infield that scored Blaze Brothers, who got aboard on a walk.

Henderson State answered with two runs in the home-half of the first on a two-run single to Kaden Argenbright, who fueled a three-run fourth inning with a two-run homer and finished with three hits and five RBIs.

The Reddies closed with 16 hits and also received a three-hit performance from Cade Tucker. Greyson Stevens, Thomas, Vilches and Nick Butler each had two hits.

Brayden Bebee earned the win in relief for Henderson State. Bebee allowed one earned run on three hits in 3.1 innings and had two strikeouts and two walks. Spencer Taack gave up five earned runs on four hits in 5.2 innings, while recording five strikeouts and issuing four walks.

The RiverHawks ended with seven hits — a hit apiece from Reller, Rodden, Kaiser, Klingensmith, Hight, C.D. White and Kademon Graff. Klingensmith clubbed his 13th home run of the season during the second inning, and White, who had been out of the lineup with a fractured hand, had his first plate appearance since April 23 in the ninth inning.