Storm Downs HSU 7-1 in Rubber Match

DURANT, Okla. – A five-run fourth inning burst coupled with solid pitching propelled Southeastern to a 7-1 win in the rubber-match over Henderson state on Sunday afternoon to win the series 2-1.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 5-16-1 on the year and 4-9 in Great American Conference play as they have won four of their last six league matchups and are just a game out of eighth place in the conference standings.
 
It also moves head coach Mike Metheny to 1,313 career wins, one short of matching Joe Roberts' NCAA Division II record of 1,314 win and two away from becoming the all-time leader by victories.
 
SE piled up 11 hits on the afternoon, with Cade Clay, Hunter Harrison, Brett Akins and Jett Swigart each picking up two.
 
Ty Hanson, Luke Thomas and Garrin Young had one each.
 
Harrison powered the offense with a double and a homer, driving in four runs on the contest.
 
Clay added a pair of RBI, while Young drove in one.
 
On the hill is was Hayden Grimes who picked up his second win of the year after getting the start and tossing 6.1 innings and allowing a run on six hits with five strikeouts.
 
Michael Brinska would come in and throw 1.1 innings, scattering four hits, but did record a big bases loaded strikeout to end the seventh inning.
 
Brandon Wolski would then make his second appearance of the weekend and record the final four outs while allowing no hits and striking out three.
 
Conversely, SE chased HSU's starter Chris Hunt after 3.2 innings and tagged him for all seven runs on nine hits.  Hunt entered the contest fourth in the GAC in ERA at 1.79 and recorded a no-hitter in the conference tournament to end the Storm's 2016 season.
 
Scoring would start in the third inning as Travis Spinney drew a two-out walk followed by a Clay single.
 
Harrison would then double to left to plate them both and open up a 2-0 lead.
 
The Reddies answered with a run in the top of the fourth inning, but the Storm offense was not finished.
 
Thomas collected a one-out double and moved to third on a Swigart single.
 
Thomas would come home a batter later on a Young RBI single for a 3-1 lead.
 
Two batters later Clay would connect on a two-out, two-run double to right center to plate Spinney and Swigart and open up a 5-1 lead.
 
Harrison would add the exclamation point to the inning a batter later with a two-run shot to left field to make the score 7-1 which would hold to be the final tally.