Box Score
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - No. 3 Southeastern stayed in the top half of the bracket by picking up a 5-3 win over Arkansas-Monticello in the second round of the Great American Conference Tournament Thursday night in Bentonville, Ark.
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 42-7 on the year and SE will be back in action at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon against sixth-seeded Henderson State with a trip to the championship game on the line.
Mindy McElroy came on in relief and tossed 3.1 innings to pick up her 20th win after allowing just one hits and striking out four.
With her 20th win, McElroy and Jacee Bennett each have 20 wins ont he season, marking the first time since the 2008 season that SE has had two pitchers reach the 20 win mark int he same year. That season Marjorie Johnson and Jami McAdoo turned in 27 and 24 wins, respectively.
Jacee Bennett got the start but left after 3.2 innings in which she allowed three runs on five hits with one K.
Courtney Moore posted a pair of hits, while six others posted one hit each.
Courtney Riddle racked up three RBI with her base-clearing double, while Moore and Whitney Hamilton each added one RBI.
The Storm jumped out in front first after Jessica Simmons and Lacie Cook led off the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back singles before moving up a base on a Courtney Riddle sac bunt.
Courtney Moore brought home the first run when she laid down a squeeze bunt that plated Simmons which was followed up by an RBI groundout by Whitney Hamilton to mount a 2-0 advantage.
After keeping UAM off the board in the top of the second, SE went back to work in the bottom half of the inning as Paige Priest singled with one out and Jacee Bennett followed by reaching on an error after laying down a sac bunt.
They would each move up a station on a Simmons bunt and Lacie Cook would draw a walk to load the bases.
Courtney Riddle then connected on a 3-1 pitch and drove it to the wall in right-center, scoring all three runners to take a 5-0 lead, but was thrown out herself at third trying to turn a double into a triple.
After a scoreless third for both teams, UAM turned in their first runs by picking up three runs by taking advantage of a pair of walks by using back-to-back RBI doubles to close the gap to 5-3.
McElroy would keep the Blossoms off the borad for the final three innings, however to hang on for the 5-3 win.
