Pitching, Defense Lift SE to Sweep of HU

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern's defense and pitching shone on Friday as the Savage Storm opened its series against No. 16 Harding with a sweep, taking game one 4-1 before finishing the day with a 2-0 victory at the Southeastern Softball Field.
 
The wins lift the Savage Storm to 23-12 and 17-5 in Great American Conference play heading into the final two games of the series slated for a noon double-header on Saturdat.
 
Sydnee Hinkle led the way in game one with a 3-for-3 effort and a pair of RBI.
 
Elexis Watson and Kennedy Salyers added two hits each, while Symphoni Shomo, Destiny Riddle, Keeshia Thompson, and Mykaela Wallace added a hit apiece.
 
Riddle and Thompson added an RBI each in addition to Hinkle's two.
 
Kelsey Meeks tossed a complete game to pick up her 19^th win of the season, allowing a run on three hits with five strikeouts.
 
SE got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, first on an RBI single by Thompson that scored Watson, which was followed by a two-run double by Hinkle to plate Shomo and Thompson for a 3-0 lead.
 
Meeks allowed two baserunners and just one hit over the first five inning before the Bisons led off the top of the sixth with a solo homer to close the score to 3-1 midway through the sixth inning.
 
In the bottom half of the sixth inning the Storm would get a one-out single from Watson. Marilyn Maas came on to pinch run and would score two batters later on a two-out RBI single from Riddle to take a 4-1 lead into the seventh inning which would hold to be the final score.
 
In game two the teams played scoreless ball into the fourth inning before the Storm took advantage of an HU error and scored a pinch-running Mass from second on an overthrow of first base to take a 1-0 lead after four.
 
Watson would double the lead with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo homer to open up a 2-0 lead.
 
Riddle would retire the final six Bison hitters to preserve the 2-0 win.
 
Riddle recorded her first complete game shutout of the season, allowing three hits and striking out two.
 
Thompson finished game two with a pair of hits, while Watson, Shomo, Hinkle, and Brittany Chatellier each added one.
 
Watson's home run provided the only RBI in the contest.