SE Unable to Hold Off ATU Rally

DURANT, Okla.  – Southeastern suffered its first conference loss of the season on Saturday afternoon in a 16-13 loss to Arkansas Tech in game one of a double-header that saw its second game suspended after five innings due to light with the Savage Storm leading 10-6.
 
The suspended game will be resumed at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning, with the regularly scheduled double-header to follow.
 
The loss drops SE to 8-8 on the season overall and 4-1 in Great American Conference play.
 
In the opener the Storm looked to be rolling early as a Laramie Beal single scored Haley Strawn and kicked off a nine-run first inning.
 
Her single was followed by a Jordyn James RBI single which was followed by Arianna Jones getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for a 3-0 lead.
 
It stretched to 4-0 on a Connor Harmon RBI single and 5-0 on a Jessica Simmons RBI walk.
 
Strawn, in her second trip to the plate in the inning, put the icing on the cake with a grand slam to right center to open up a 9-0 lead.
 
Harmon would add an RBI single in the second to stretch that edge to 10-0.
 
ATU would get a two-run homer in the top of the third to get on the board, but Darrian Williams would draw a bases loaded walk to drive in Strawn for an 11-2 lead after three innings.
 
The Storm was three outs from picking up a run-rule win heading into the top of the fifth, but a two-run homer would open up an eight-run inning to close the SE lead to 11-10 midway through the fifth.
 
Jones would give SE some breathing room with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth for a 13-10 lead.
 
However, the Golden Suns would get a leadoff home in the top of the seventh and then add five-unearned runs with two outs to take a 16-13 lead which would hold to be the final score.
 
Courtney Riddle, Jones and Harmon each collected a pair of hits, while five others added one each.
 
Strawn's four RBI lead the way for the Storm, while Jones added three and Harmon chipped in two.
 
Simmons, Beal, James and Williams each drove in one.
 
Jacee Bennett got the start and finished the game with 4.2 innings pitched, allowing nine runs, seven earned, on 10 hits with three strikeouts but took a no decision.
 
Jessica Seay was saddled with the loss after allowing seven runs, four earned, on eight hits with four K's in 2.1 innings of work in relief.
 
SE was in an early hole in game two after ATU put up four runs in the first inning, but a Sydney Kramer RBI groundout cut the deficit to 4-1.
 
The Suns added another run in the top of the second to stretch the lead to 5-1, but the Storm exploded for a nine-run inning in the bottom of the third while sending 13 batters to the plate and taking a 10-5 lead.
 
ATU added a run in the top of the fifth to make the score 10-6 which is where it stood when the game was suspended after the conclusion of the fifth inning.