Softball Splits Day One at 8-State Classic

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Southeastern opened the six-game weekend with an 8-3 win over Wayne State on Friday afternoon, but finished the day with a split after a 4-0 loss to No. 7 Missouri-St. Louis on day one of the UAM 8-State Classic in Bentonville, Ark.
 
The split moves the Savage Storm to 3-5 overall on the season heading into Saturday matchups with Central Missouri at 11 a.m. and Minnesota State-Mankato at 3 p.m.
 
Destiny Riddle and Keeshia Thompson led the way in game one with each turning in three-hit outings, while Jordyn James added a pair of hits and three others picked up single hits as the Storm connected on 11 base hits on the contest.
 
Jessica Simmons, Destiny Riddle, Courtney Riddle and Thompson each drove in a pair of runs.
 
In the circle Emily Cudd got the start and tossed 6.0 innings while allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts.
 
Jessica Seay would come on for the final inning, not allowing a hit while striking out one.
 
WSC took the lead in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly, but the Storm had an answer in the top of the second when Keeshia Thompson tied the game with an RBI double that plated a pinch-running Kennedy Been, followed with Destiny Riddle drawing a bases-loaded walk later in the inning to take a 2-1 lead.
 
Courtney Riddle would move that to 3-1 with a solo homer in the top of the third inning and then drive in Destiny Riddle an inning later on a groundout to push the lead to 4-1.
 
Simmons would continue the trend in the fifth inning by driving in Thompson on an RBI groundout for a 5-1 advantage.
 
The wildcats would get a pair of runs back in the bottom of the fifth, but SE would pack on insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI double by Thompson, a sac fly from Simmons and an RBI single by Destiny Riddle to stretch the lead to 8-3 which would be the final score.
 
In the nightcap the offense was unable to get moving as the Savage Storm were no-hit for just the second time in program history, with the first coming Feb. 2, 2007 in an 8-0 loss to St. Mary's.
 
Simmons reached base twice on walks and was SE's only base runner on the day, getting caught stealing in the first and getting caught up in a line-out double play in the fourth,
 
Seay took the loss and allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits with six strikeouts over 3.0 innings, with Destiny Riddle tossing 3.0 innings in relief and allowing a run on three hits with two strikeouts.
 
Hunter Offill would finish out the game with one inning pitched in which she struck out one and allowed no hits.
 
The No. 7-ranked Tritons got an RBI single in the top of the second and took advantage of an SE error in the third to take a 3-0 lead.
 
They would add one final run in the sixth on an RBI single to fashion the 4-0 final score.