DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern scored four runs over the seventh and eighth innings to rally for a 9-8 victory in the series opener versus Northwestern Oklahoma State on Friday afternoon at The Ballpark in Durant.
Â
The win snaps a four-game losing skid and moves the Savage Storm to 5-10 overall and 2-5 in Great American Conference play heading into a noon double-header on Saturday at The Ballpark in Durant.
Â
The teams combined for 28 hits in the contest, with
Travis Spinney and
Easton Elliott leading the way for SE with three hits each.
Â
Brett Akins finished with a pair of hits, while
Bryce Deatherage,
Cade Clay,
Harrison Whitworth, and
Joseph Cerda each tacked on one.
Â
Spinney drove in a team-leading three runs and scored twice, while Clay drove in a pair of runs, with Akins, Elliott, Whitworth, and
Jett Swigart each driving in one.
Â
Cody Nitson got the start and lasted 6.1 innings but was tagged with seven runs, three of them earned, on 12 hits with six strikeouts and took a no decision.
Â
Jake Patterson allowed a run on three hits in two-thirds of an inning before
Cody Johnson came on and tossed the final 1.2 innings, allowing a hit and striking out three to collect the win.
Â
SE got on the board in the bottom of the second inning, first when Whitworth singled home Akins, followed by a Swigart sac fly for a 2-0 advantage.
Â
That would expand three batters later when Spinney connected on a bases-loaded double to open up a 5-0 lead.
Â
NWOSU would get a pair of runs back in the top of the sixth and then explode for six runs in the top of the seventh to leave the Storm in an 8-5 hole midway through the seventh inning.
Â
The Storm chipped away with a Clay two-run double in the bottom of the seventh and trailed 8-7 after seven.
Â
Akins would knot the game in the bottom of the eighth on a sac fly which plated Cerda, and a batter later Elliott would put SE in front with an RBI single to score Spinney and go ahead 9-8.
Â
Johnson would allow a runner in the top of the ninth, but strikeout the final two hitters to preserve the 9-8 win.
Â
Â
Â