2
Winner Northwestern Okla. NWOSUBB 22-24
1
Henderson State HSU 27-16
Winner
Northwestern Okla. NWOSUBB
22-24
2
Final
1
Henderson State HSU
27-16
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Northwestern Okla. NWOSUBB 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 7 0
Henderson State HSU 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1

W: Bickford, Matthew (3-1) L: Daniel Sprinkle (3-4)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Jay Barlett, Athletic Communications

Baseball Wins Series at Second Place Henderson State

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Northwestern Oklahoma State baseball completed the series win over Henderson State Saturday as they knocked off the Great American Conference's second-best team with a 2-1 win on the road. With the GAC's post-season race coming down to wire, Northwestern's two wins will certainly make for an interesting finish in the standings next weekend.

After game three starter Baron Phillips ran into trouble in the 2nd, head coach Ryan Bowen made a quick move to senior reliever Matthew Bickford (W, 3-1) and he delivered another fantastic performance out of the Ranger bullpen.  Bickford proved to be a workhorse, going 7.2 innings while only allowing two hits as he shut the door on the powerful Henderson State offense.

The Reddies opened the scoring in the 1st with two base hits and a free pass, leading to an early 1-0 HSU edge. Once he entered the ballgame, Bickford would sit down the first nine batters he faced before allowing a single in the bottom of the 5th.

Northwestern trailed for most of the game until Johnnuelle Ponce cranked his eighth home run of the year off HSU starter Daniel Sprinkle (L, 3-4) to tie things up 1-1 in the 7th and they weren't done there. In the same inning with runners on the corners, the Rangers capitalized on an errant pickoff attempt that scored Jorin Van Amstel and gave the red-and-black a 2-1 lead.

Henderson State threatened with two on and only one out in the bottom of the 7th, but Bickford induced a groundout and a popup to the catcher to keep control of a one-run game. The Reddies would go down in order in both the 8th and the 9th as Bickford picked up a huge win.

Up Next
The Rangers will have the week off to prepare for a highly anticipated series at Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford, Okla. Northwestern and rival SWOSU will play Friday, April 27 at 3 p.m. for a single 9-inning game before wrapping up the regular season with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 28 at 1 p.m.
For the latest news and updates on Ranger Baseball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on TWITTER or visit www.riderangersride.com
 
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