SE Takes Series Opener vs. ECU, 5-2

DURANT, Okla. – Dylan Linke struck out 12 and tossed a complete game two-hitter as Southeastern opened its Great American Conference First Round Series against East Central with a 5-2 win on Friday afternoon at The Ballpark in Durant.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 28-22 on the year and puts them one win away from advancing to the final four of the GAC tourney in Arkadelphia, Ark., May 12-14.
 
Game two of the series is slated for noon on Saturday afternoon with the "if necessary" game to follow.
 
Linke allowed a pair of runs, only one of which was earned, and scattered a pair of hits over 9.0 innings with four walks and matched the team's best strikeouts mark on the season with 12. At one stretch from the third through the eighth innings he retired 14 straight Tiger hitters and eight of the last 13 outs he recorded were by strikeout.
 
Offensively each of the hitters from the two hole through the eight hole in the lineup recorded one hit, with Logan Terwilliger, Greg Husnander, Connor Counce and Tim Hunter each driving in a run.
 
The Storm fell behind early as ECU took advantage of a leadoff walk in the second inning and a two-out error to open up a 2-0 lead.
 
Corban Taylor would single to lead off the bottom half of the second and after moving to second on a passed ball and third on a Husnander sac bunt would come home on a Counce double to left center to cut the deficit to 2-1.
 
It stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth as SE got a Hunter single and a Jake Perez walk to lead off the inning, but a double play would leave a runner at third with two outs. Kaleb Thomas hit a routine ball to second but the throw short-hopped the first baseman and he was unable to hang on which allowed Hunter to score and knot the game at 2-2.
 
Thomas followed by stealing second and scored a batter later when Terwilliger singled through the left side to take a 3-2 lead.
 
SE would add to the lead in the sixth, taking advantage of a Taylor HBP and a Tiger error which allowed him to reach third, Hunter was able to lay down a squeeze bunt with two strikes with Taylor scoring to take a 4-2 lead.
 
As Linke continued to mow down ECU hitters, Husnander would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo homer to left field which would fashion he final of 5-2.