Southeastern Splits Series Versus ATU

DURANT, Okla.  – It may have felt like Southeastern played a triple-header on Sunday, but when the dust settled the Savage Storm picked up a 17-13 win in the resumed game two from Saturday before splitting Sunday's scheduled twinbill with Arkansas Tech taking game one 14-3 before SE picked up a 5-4 win in the finale.
 
The Storm move to 10-9 overall on the season and 6-2 in Great American Conference play, while the Golden Suns come out of the weekend at 10-4 overall and 4-2 in league play.
 
The team will be back on the field March 13-14 when it hits the road for a four-game series at southern Nazarene.
 
SE started the day with a 10-6 lead in its resumed contest from Saturday which began in the top of the sixth inning.
 
Neither team would score in the sixth but a three-run homer and a two-out RBI single by ATU in the top of the seventh would knot the game at 10-10 and send it to extra innings.
 
The Suns struck for three runs in the top of the eighth to put the Storm in a 13-10 hole with three outs remaining.
 
Haley Strawn would lead off the bottom half of the inning with a walk and Courtney Riddle would reach safely on a fielder's choice with Strawn moving to second on an error.
 
Laramie Beal would then tie the game with a three-run homer to center field.
 
However, the Storm was not finished as Kramer drew a walk, which was followed by an Arianna Jones bunt single.
 
Jordyn James would sac bunt the runners up to second and third, and Darrian Williams would draw an intentional walk to load the bases with just one out.
 
That was when Connor Harmon would connect on her first home run of the season, a walk-off grand slam to secure a 17-13 win.
 
Beal and Jones finished the game with three hits each, while Strawn and Riddle each added two.
 
Harmon's four RBI led the team, while Beal drove in three with Strawn, Riddle and Kramer each adding a pair of RBI.
 
Jacee Bennett collected the win with 0.2 innings pitched with one run allowed on one hit.
 
Ashley Moore got the start and allowed five runs on six hits in 1.1 innings before Jessica Seay came in to toss 6.0 innings and allow seven runs, five earned, on five hits with seven K's.
 
In Sunday's scheduled game one the Storm took a 2-0 lead after one on a bases loaded walk drawn by Kramer and Riddle scoring on a wild pitch.
 
ATU tied the game in the top of the third, but a James RBI single would plate Jones and give SE a 3-2 lead after three.
 
However, the Suns would put up six in the fourth and another six in the sixth to bring the game to an early end at 14-3.
 
Bennett was saddled with the loss after tossing 4.0 innings and allowing eight runs on nine hits with three strikeouts.
 
Ashley Moore tossed 2.0 innings in relief and allowed six runs on six hits with three K's.
 
Strawn had a pair of hits, while James and Kramer each drove in a run.
 
In the finale, SE again struck first when Jones stole home while Williams got tied up between first and second on the hang up play for a 1-0 lead after two innings.
 
ATU would answer with a solo homer in the fourth and a pair of homers and an RBI double in the fifth to open up a 4-1 lead.
 
Southeastern would rally in the bottom of the sixth first with a two-run single by Kramer that plated Simmons and Strawn and then tying the game two batters later when Harmon was hit by a pitch, scoring a pinch-running Shaina Crites to knot the score at 4-4.
 
After keeping the Suns off the board in the top of the seventh, Simmons would reach in the bottom half on a one-out single.
 
She would steal second and score one batter later on a Strawn double to center field to pick up the walk-off 5-4 victory.
 
Simmons finished the game with a pair of hits and a pair of runs scored, while Strawn, Jones and Kramer each added a hit.
 
Kramer drove in a pair of runs, while Strawn and Harmon added an RBI each.
 
Seay picked up the win after tossing a complete 7.0 innings and allowing four runs on eight hits with 10 strikeouts.