Baseball Falls to WU in Season Opener

Box Score GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Despite an 8-to-7 edge in hits, Southeastern was unable to come out on top in its season opener, falling to Washburn 8-3 on Thursday afternoon in Grand Prairie, Texas, in the Airhogs Division II tournament.
 
The Savage Storm will aim to get back on track at 10 a.m. on Friday morning when they face Angelo State as part of day two of the event.
 
Easton Elliott and Bryce Deatherage each picked up a pair of hits, with Elliott tripling and driving in a run while also drawing a walk.
 
Drew Bolin, Austin Ferguson, Caleb Dubler and Jett Swigart each recorded a hit as well.
 
Elliott drove in a run and scored once, while Ferguson and Dubler each logged RBI, with Deatherage and Brett Akins each scoring a run.
 
Hayden Grimes got the start and struck out five over his 6.0 innings pitched, but was tagged for four runs, three earned, on five hits and suffered the loss.
 
Bailey Burks tossed an inning in relief and allowed three runs on a hit, with Scott Brinkley coming on to toss the only scoreless relief inning.  Tiler Fletcher would close out the contest, allowing a run in an inning pitched.  Each reliever recorded one strikeout.
 
Washburn took a lead in the top of the first, taking advantage of a pair of hits and a Storm error to go up 2-0.
 
SE responded immediately in the bottom half, first scoring on an Austin Ferguson RBI single which plated Bryce Deatherage to cut the deficit in half.
 
Two batters later an Easton Elliott triple would bring in Brett Akins to tie the game and the Storm would take a 3-2 lead a batter later on a Caleb Dubler RBI single.
 
The Ichabods would get back on the board in the third, tying the game and regaining the lead at 4-3 with a run in the top of the fourth.
 
The offenses would stay quiet until the seventh inning when an error and a wild pitch would cost the Storm three runs as WU took a 7-3 lead midway through the seventh.
 
Washburn tacked on a run in the top of the ninth and Southeastern would fall 8-3.