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Box Score 2 DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern got back-to-back complete game pitching performances from
Mindy McElroy as the Savage Storm wrapped up its second-straight Great American Conference regular season championship with a Saturday sweep, taking game one 6-2 and game two 7-6.
The wins lift SE to 35-15 overall on the season and 28-11 in GAC play.
Game two featured plenty of drama as the Storm got word that Northwestern Oklahoma State had won both of its contests on Saturday and briefly took the lead for the regular season crown with SE in the early innings of the finale.
After getting hit for four runs in the top of the first inning, the Storm was in a 4-1 hole when the game became a must-win contest for the title.
The one run at that point had come on the bat of McElroy who doubled home
Haley Strawn in the second inning.
SE finally got its big answer in the bottom of the fourth.
McElroy collected a single with two outs, which was followed by a
Lauren Renneker single and a
Jessica Simmons walk to load the bases for
Lacie Cook who came through with a three-run double to knot the game at 4-4.
In the bottom of the sixth, Renneker would put the Storm in front with a solo homer to lead off the inning. Renneker had grounded out on the pitch before her blast to centerfield, but the HSU pitcher was called for an illegal pitch which put the bat back in her hands.
Following the homer, Simmons and Cook each singled and a Kramer sac fly would plate Simmons for the 6-4 lead.
Two batters later Strawn would make the score 7-4 with an RBI single to left to plat Cook.
The Reddies made things interesting in the top of seventh inning with a pair of runs, but McElroy picked up her only strikeout of the contest to end the game and hold on for the 7-6 win.
Strawn rapped out three hits in the finale, while Cook, McElroy and Renneker each added two.
Cook finished with three RBI, while Kramer, Strawn, McElroy and Renneker each had one.
McElroy picked up her 21
st win of the year after tossing all seven innings and allowing six runs on 13 hits with one strikeout.
The opener on Saturday was less dramatic as SE came out with runs in the first three innings, while McElroy kept the Reddies off the board until the seventh inning.
Kramer put SE on the board with an RBI single that scored Simmons in the bottom of the first inning.
A Simmons RBI double and an RBI single by Cook in the second inning stretched that lead to 3-0.
Strawn then made the contest 5-0 with a two run home run in the bottom of the third inning.
McElroy would plate the final run with a sac fly in the fifth to go up 6-0.
HSU would hit a pair of solo home runs in the top of the seventh to fashion the 6-2 final score.
Simmons and
Laramie Beal each finished 3-for-4 in the game, while Strawn added two hits.
Strawn's two RBI led the team in the contest, while Simmons, Cook, Kramer and McElroy each drove in a run.
McElroy tossed all seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits.
When coupled together, She tossed over 200 pitches on Saturday to help the Storm earn the GAC regular season championship.
Southeastern will head into the conference tournament as the top seed and face eighth-seeded Ouachita Baptist at 2 p.m. on May 1 in Bentonville, Ark.
