ARKADELPHIA, ARK. – The East Central University baseball team picked up a 4-2 victory in the final game of the Great American Conference series at Henderson State.

The Tigers (9-17, 8-10 GAC) and the Reddies (18-10, 12-6 GAC) both tallied seven hits each, but HSU left 11 runners stranded during the game to ECU's six.

ECU saw multi-hit games from three players, with senior Jake MeKeel leading the group with two hits, a run scored and an RBI.  Senior Kaleb Matthews and junior Dalton Etheredge both added two hits and a run scored.

Senior Jake Wellington started the game on the mound, throwing the first 4.2 innings, allowing three hits and two runs and striking out two.  Junior Shae Edmonds came in and threw the final 4.1 innings, allowing four hits no runs, earning two Ks and the win.

The Reddies started the scoring in the second, adding a single run to the scoreboard.

The Tigers finally got their bats going in the fifth inning, taking a 2-1 lead.  Etheredge singled and after two outs senior Kodiak O'Ravez was walked.  MeKeel then sent the runs home with a single and an error by the centerfielder.
HSU was able to score a run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at two.

The teams battled through the next two innings, before ECU again took control and scored two runs in the eighth.  MeKeel led off with a single.  Senior Kaleb Matthews followed with a single that included an error to allow the first run to score.  Senior JT Stevenson added the final run with a single and the 4-2 advantage.

The Reddies got a runner to third in the eighth, but were unable to score and followed with a single base runner in the ninth to end the game with ECU winning 4-2.

The Tigers will now return home to get ready for a three-game series against Arkansas Tech, March 31-April 1 at Ken Turner Field.