Softball Sweeps Harding on Day One

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern posted 21 runs and 25 hits over two games and swept the series opening double-header with Harding, taking game one 7-6 before picking up a 14-2 run-rule win in five innings in game two.
 
The final two games of the series are set for an 11 a.m. start on Saturday afternoon at the Southeastern Softball Field.
 
The wins lift the Savage Storm to 9-6 overall and 4-2 in Great American Conference play, while the Bisons dip to 10-7 and 3-3 in league action.
 
It truly was a tale of two games as the Storm rallied from a four-run deficit in the sixth inning of game one to win in walk-off fashion, before turning up the offense and running away with game two.
 
Harding posted a run in the first and another in the third and the fifth innings.  The Bisons then doubled their total in the top of the sixth with three more runs.
 
The Storm was able to scratch out a pair of runs in the second inning, first on a Haley Strawn RBI single that plated Arianna Jones and then on a Conner Harmon sac bunt squeeze that scored Shaina Crites.
 
SE found its power, however, in the sixth inning, trailing by three runs, first with a leadoff solo homer by Laramie Beal, before two batters later Strawn connected on a solo shot of her own to make the score 6-4.
 
Mindy McElroy would follow with a single, but was put out on a Rachel Jones fielder's choice to leave a runner on first with two outs.
 
Courtney Riddle then stepped to the plate to pinch hit for Harmon and put a two-run shot over the right field wall to knot the game at 6-6.
 
After getting out of the top of the seventh unscathed, Lacie Cook opened the bo0ttom half with a single and moved to second on a Sydney Kramer sac bunt.
 
Cook moved to third and walks by Beal and Arianna Jones would load the bases.
 
Strawn put a ball in play with one out, reaching on a fielder's choice when Cook was thrown out at home for the second out.
 
McElroy, however, ended the contest by drawing a bases loaded walk to drive in Beal and score the game-winning run.
 
Kramer, Strawn and McElroy each connected on a pair of hits, with Beal, Strawn and Riddle turning in home runs.
 
Strawn and Riddel each drove in a pair of runs, while McElroy, Harmon and Beal added an RBI each.
 
Jacee Bennet picked upt he victory, her second, after tossing 5.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits with four strikeouts.
 
Shayna Milam tossed 1.1 innings in relief, allowing three runs on five hits.
 
In game two, Simmons, Kramer, Beal, Arianna Jones and Strawn each connected on two hits, while five others had one hit each en route to piling up 15 as a team.
 
Kramer also turned in three RBI, while Simmons, Milam, Beal and Arianna Jones each added two RBI.
 
McElroy got the start6 and picked up her fifth win, tossing 5.0 innings and allowing two runs on six hits with one K.
 
The Storm opened up the offense early, putting up eight runs in the bottom of the first inning.
 
Kramer single home Simmons to put the first run up, and later scored on a Beal double.
 
Arianna Jones then connected on a two-run homer to open up a 4-0 lead.
 
Darrian Williams singled home Strawn, followed by a bases-loaded walk by Cook.
 
The inning was then capped by a two-run double by Kramer to mount the 8-0 lead.
 
HU got a run back in the second inning, but the Storm answered with a Beal RBI single to make the score 9-1 after three.
 
Megan Birchfield singled home Strawn in the fourth, which was followed by an RBI double by Simmons and a two-run home by Milam to take a 14-1 lead.
 
The Bisons added a run in the top of the fifth to fashion he 14-2 final score.