Baseball Drops Opener, Ends Day with Tie

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern suffered from five errors in its Tuesday opener against Central Oklahoma, falling 8-6, before coming back in the nightcap and fighting a pitcher's duel to a 1-1 tie after eight innings which was ended due to darkness at The Ballpark in Durant.
 
The day leaves the Savage Storm at 3-13-1 on the season now with a single contest against Texas A&M-International scheduled for March 8 at 2 p.m. at The Ballpark in Durant.
 
Hunter Harrison led the SE offense with a 3-for-4 performance which included a homerun, two RBI and two runs scored.
 
Jett Swigart added a pair of hits, while Brett Akins, Ty Hanson and Luke Thomas each drove in a run.
 
The opener saw the teams combine to use 13 pitchers, with SE sending seven out over seven innings.
 
Cody Nitson got the start and allowed four unearned runs on three hits over 1.2 innings pitched before handing the ball to Harrison who was tagged for four hits and one unearned run.
 
Bailey Burks, Jake Patterson and Brandon Wolski combined to toss two innings, with Burks allowing a run and Patterson a hit.
 
Michael Brinska would take the loss after allowing a run on a hit in one-third of an inning of work, and Tristen Wood closed out the contest with 1.2 innings pitched and allowing a run on three hits.
 
The Storm got on the board first with a two-run Harrison homer in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead.
 
UCO would answer by taking advantage of a pair of Southeastern errors and put up four runs in the top of the second inning.
 
Swigart would lead off the bottom half of the inning with a double and SE would load the bases which allowed Akins to drive in Swigart with a sac fly.
 
With runners at first and third Garrin Young would steak home for the tying run and knot the game at 4-4.
 
The Bronchos would pick up another unearned run in the top of the fifth, but SE would again find an answer with Ty Hanson leading off the inning with a solo homer to tie the game at 5-5.
 
UCO would strike again in the top of the fifth, but once again the Storm would answer as this time Thomas was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in the tying run and make it 6-6.
 
However, the Bronchos would add a single run in the sixth and another in the seventh and the Storm would run out of answers in an 8-6 loss.
 
In the nightcap Travis Spinney would collect three of SE's four hits, while Cade Clay would add the other.
 
Scott Richards would get the start and toss 5.0 innings while allowing a run on four hits with five strikeouts.
 
Wolski would toss the final 3.0 innings without allowing a hit while striking out five.
 
The Storm got the game's first run with Spinney scoring on a balk in the bottom of the first inning.
 
The 1-0 lead would hold until UCO got a solo homer in the fourth to tie the game at 1-1.
 
SE pitching would set the final 11 Broncho batters down in order, and the Storm offense would get a runner to second in the bottom of the eighth on back-to-back singles but was unable to bring a run home and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.