ADA, Okla. – The East Central University baseball team opened Great American Conference play in exciting fashion Thursday afternoon, defeating Henderson State University 13–7 at Ken Turner Field to open conference play on a high note.
 
With the win, the Tigers handed the Reddies their first loss of the season and secured ECU's first GAC-opening victory since 2017, when the Tigers defeated Arkansas-Monticello 6–3 at home.

ECU will wrap up the series tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 11 am.
 
After a scoreless first three innings that was a pitchers' dual, ECU broke through in the fourth. Ryan Strickland started the scoring with an RBI double down the left-field line to plate Max Tremblay. Donovan Noble followed with an RBI single to give the Tigers a 2–0 advantage.
 
ECU added another run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Joey Allen before Henderson State responded in the sixth with a pair of runs to cut the deficit to 3–2.
 
But the Tigers answered immediately, and in a big way.
 
ECU exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, turning a one-run game into a commanding lead. Noble sparked the rally with an RBI triple to right center, followed by an RBI double from Tyler Akers. Tremblay and Strickland each delivered RBI hits, Allen added an RBI groundout, and Pryce Jackson capped the inning with an RBI single to push the lead to 9–2.
 
Henderson State battled back with three runs in the seventh to trim the margin to four, but ECU once again had a response. The Tigers plated four more runs in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Tremblay and another RBI knock from Allen. Diego Sotelo added a sacrifice fly, and Logan Jeske drove in a run on a groundout to extend the lead to 13–5.
 
The Reddies added two runs in the ninth, but the Tigers' offensive outburst proved more than enough as ECU closed out the 13–7 victory.
 
Joel Hogan set the tone on the mound, earning the win after tossing 6.0 strong innings. The right-hander allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out nine and walking one in a 90-pitch outing. Caleb Ebert added two-thirds of an inning without allowing a run, while Andrew Black and Zane Wilson also saw action out of the bullpen. Caleb Peek closed the door in the ninth, striking out three in a scoreless inning to secure the victory.
 
ECU pounded out 18 hits in the conference-opening victory, highlighted by Tyler Akers, Max Tremblay, and Ryan Strickland, who each recorded three-hit performances. Akers finished 3-for-6 with three doubles and two runs scored, while Tremblay went 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs. Strickland added a 3-for-4 day with a double, two runs scored, two RBIs, and a walk. Joey Allen was also big at the plate, driving in a team-high three RBIs on a 2-for-4 performance. Donovan Noble contributed two hits, including a triple, with two runs and two RBIs, while Pryce Jackson and Logan Jeske each added two hits in the win.