CARY, N.C. -- The hottest of the Reddies is still red hot.
Henderson State first baseman Hunter Mayall, who went 12 of 17 at the plate while leading his team to the NCAA Central Region championship last week, picked up where he left off Saturday in the opening game of the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship.
The junior leadoff man college two more hits, scored a run and drove in another to lead Henderson State to a 4-0 victory against Southwest Region champion Angelo State at the USA Baseball Training National Training Center in Cary, N.C.
The Reddies advanced into the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament and will play Wilmington or Catawba at 6 p.m. Monday.
"I'm more locked in than I've ever been in my life," Mayall said. "I can't even explain it. It's just something. Honestly, it's just as amazing."
Henderson State (32-19) has been just as amazing throughout its postseason run. Thanks to Mayall's work at the top of the order, the Reddies have scored at least one run in the first inning of all five of their NCAA Tournament games -- all victories.
HSU did it again against San Angelo when Mayhall singled, stole second and came home on a two-out single by Tadarious Hawkins. Four innings later, Mayhall was on the other end of the equation as he singled to right to drive in Carlos Rodriguez for a 2-0 lead.
That was more than enough support for the trio of Colton Lorance, Jordan Taylor and Nick Vanthillo, who combined to pitch a six-hitter to keep Henderson State -- which barely snuck into the NCAA field as a No. 6 regional seed -- unbeaten in its tournament history.
"We went into the regional with very low expectations," Reddies Coach Cody Hooten said. "We had the No. 1 team and the No. 5 team in the country, and we just made statement.
"I think the difference with us in this tournament and the last tournament is that you can tell other teams are playing a little nervous, and we've just relaxed and played. Our best players are playing their best right now. It's been very special."
One reason the Reddies have been so relaxed is they are usually playing with a lead.
Lorance said he appreciated the early support against the hard-hitting Rams, who came into the game averaging 8.2 runs per game in the postseason. It also didn't hurt that the heavy North Carolina air and the ample dimensions of Coleman Field turned every hard-hit ball to the outfield into a routine out.
Eight of Angelo State's outs came on fly balls to left fielder Lance Fields.
"It's nice when you see them square one up and it barely makes it to the warning track," said Lorance, who pitched into the seventh to improve to 7-3. "You can just fill up the zone, throw all your pitches in there and not really worry about people getting a hold of it."
The only real trouble Henderson State pitchers encountered came when Angelo State (41-17) put its first two men on in the top of the seventh. The Rams eventually loaded the bases but came away empty when Taylor came out of the bullpen to strike out two and induce a comebacker to end the threat.
By that time, the Reddies had extended their lead when Carlos Rodriguez scored on a wild throw while stealing third. They added their final run in the eighth on a wild pitch before Vanthillo finished things up for his school-record 13th save.
"We pitched extremely well, found a way to score some runs, and we caught some breaks here and there," Hooten said. "That's kind of the way our playoff run as gone."
Sports on 05/24/2015