Softball Sweeps OBU in GAC Opener

DURANT, Okla. – Courtney Riddle drove in five runs and Jacee Bennett collected a pair of wins in the circle as No. 24 Southeastern swept Ouachita Baptist on Friday with wins of 7-1 and 4-3 at the Southeastern Softball Field.
 
The four-game series will conclude on Saturday with a double-header set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
 
The wins lift the Savage Storm to 6-7 overall and get the team off to a 2-0 start in Great American Conference play.
 
The opener started slow with neither team breaking through for the first two innings, but in the bottom of the third Courtney Riddle got things moving in a big way with a three-run homer to left that plated Darrian Williams and Connor Harmon to open a 3-0 lead.
 
Riddle would then drive in Harmon again on an RBI single up the middle to stretch the edge to 4-0.
 
A Jordan James groundout would score a pinch-running Shaina Crites early in the bottom of the fifth and Arianna Jones would tack on one more run in the inning with a single through the left side that drove in Laramie Beal for a 7-0 lead after five innings.
 
OBU would get a run back in the top of the sixth on a solo homer, but Bennett would finish the game after that unscathed.
 
For her effort, Bennet picked up her fourth win after throwing a complete game and allowing a run on four hits with seven strikeouts.
 
At the plate, Riddle, Beal and Jones each registered a pair of hits, while Haley Strawn, James, Harmon and Williams each added one.
 
Riddle's four RBI is a single-game best for any SE player this season, while James added a pair of runs batted in and Jones drove in one.
 
In game two the Storm found itself in more of a dogfight, needing a Riddle RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to break a 3-3 tie and earn the 4-3 win.
 
A Jessica Simmons double would score Strawn from first to put SE up 1-0 in the bottom of the first, but in the top of the second the Tigers would take advantage of an SE error to even the score at 1-1.
 
James and Jones would each connect on RBI singles in the third to go up 3-1, but OBU answered with a solo homer in the fifth and scored on another error in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 3-3.
 
Riddle would then break the tie with a two-out RBI single that scored Breanna Smith for the go-ahead and ultimately game winning run.
 
Bennett collected the win and moved to 5-3 on the season, tossing the final 2.0 innings and allowing just one hit while striking out three.
 
Jessica Seay got the start and took a no decision after tossing 5.0 innings and allowing three runs, one earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts.
 
Beal and James each had a pair of hits, while five others collected one each.
 
Riddle, Simmons, James and Jones each drove in a run.