SE Splits With Rival East Central

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern collected 20 hits over two games, but was only able to earn a split against rival East Central on Tuesday, taking game one 8-3 before dropping the nightcap 2-1 at the Southeastern Softball Field.
 
The split moves the Savage Storm to 21-13 overall and 17-7 in Great American Conference play heading into a weekend series with Southern Nazarene beginning April 1.
 
In the opener, Sydney Kramer put together a 3-for-4 outing and drove in a pair of runs to lead the offense.
 
Jessica Simmons, Destiny Riddle and Keeshia Thompson each added two hits.
 
Simmons also drove in a pair of runs and stole two bases, while Riddle and Laramie Beal had an RBI each.
 
Riddle, Kramer and Beal each hit home runs.
 
Jessica Seay picked up her fifth win by tossing a complete game and allowing three runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts.
 
 SE scored in each of the first four inning, starting with Kramer driving in Simmons on a groundout in the bottom of the first.
 
One batter later Beal connected on a solo homer to push the lead to 2-0.
 
A Mykaela Wallace RBI double followed by a throwing error would result in her circling the bases and pushing the lead to 3-0.
 
Kramer would add her solo shot in the third for a 4-0 lead.
 
ECU would get a run back in the top of the fourth, but a two-run double by Simmons, followed by her stealing third and scoring on a throwing error would make the lead 7-1.
 
ECU would get a run in the fifth and sixth innings to close to 7-3, but Riddle would hit a solo homer off the scoreboard in the sixth to set the final at 8-3.
 
Game two was a pitcher's duel, with Emily Cudd allowing a game-low four hits and striking out a game-high seven, but allowed a pair of runs.
 
Conversely, the Storm offense out-hit ECU seven-to-four, but stranded eight runners in a one-run ball game.
 
Simmons finished the game 3-for-4 and scored the team's lone run, while Beal added a 3-for-3 outing and drove her in.
 
Riddle picked up the remaining SE hit.
 
ECU opened up a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the top of the first and would not score again and would get just one runner into scoring position over the final six innings.
 
Southeastern would leave the bases loaded in the bottom of the first and finally get on the board in the third when Simmons led off with a double and Beal singled her home to make the score 2-1.
 
The Storm would strand runners in scoring position in the fifth and seventh innings en route to the 2-1 loss.