SE Rallies for Win over HU in Opener

DURANT, Okla.  – Southeastern got 10 hits out of the bottom third of its order and rallied from an 8-2 deficit to pick up a 15-11 win in the series opener against Harding on Saturday afternoon at The Ballpark in Durant.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 8-8 overall on the year and 4-4 in Great American conference play heading into a Sunday double-header against the Bisons set for a noon first pitch.
 
Chance Burcham put on a show with a 4-for-4 effort that included a pair of home runs, four RBI and four runs scored in the eight hole, while Brandon Grimsley went 4-for-5 with a homer of his own and four RBI along with three runs scored in the nine spot.
 
Greg Husnander added to the domination of the bottom third of the order with a 2-for-5 effort in the seven hole with a pair of runs scored.
 
Seven Storm players collected hits, six of them had multiple hit outings, with Dylan Helms and Corban Taylor each adding three hits, While Jacob Soisson added two and Kaleb Thomas had one.
 
Taylor added three RBI, while Soisson drove in two and Helms and Cody Coats added one RBI each.
 
SE tallied a season-best 19 hits and 15 RBI and in doing so snapped a three-game losing streak and moved into a tie with HU for fifth in the GAC standings.
 
Dylan Linke had allowed one earned run in four starts to open the season but had yet to record a decision, but on Saturday he was hit for 10 runs over 7.0 innings pitched but moved to 1-0 on the season after striking out eight and allowing seven hits.
 
Brady Colbert came on to toss the final 2.0 innings and earn his third save of the season after allowing a run on three hits with three strikeouts.
 
Harding took a 2-0 lead with a home run in the top of the first inning, but a Taylor single in the bottom half would cut the deficit in half as Helms scored.
 
A Bisons grand slam would open the lead up to 6-1 in the top of the second, but Burcham would drive in his first run with a double to center to player Husnander to make the score 6-2.
 
However, HU would add two more runs in the fourth to open up its largest lead at 8-2.
 
Burcham would cut into the deficit with the first of his two home runs, a two-run shot to cut the gap to 8-4 after four innings.
 
The Bisons would add a solo home in the top of the fifth to stretch its edge to 9-4, but Grimsley would answer in the bottom half with a two-run double followed by a Helms RBI single to close the score to 9-7.
 
HU would tack on one more run in the top of the seventh for a 10-7 lead, but the Storm rally got rolling in the bottom of the seventh.
 
A two-run Grimsley home run would open the rally and narrow the deficit to 10-9, and Coats would tie the game by drawing a bases-loaded walk.
 
Soisson would tack on two more runs in the seventh on a single to left and the Storm would lead 12-10 after seven innings.
 
Colbert would keep the Bisons off the board in the top half and a Burcham solo homer followed by a Taylor two-run single would stretch the Storm advantage to 15-10 after eight innings.
 
HU would get one run back in the top of the ninth, but Colbert would hold out to save the win.