SE Splits Series with No. 4 SAU

DURANT, Okla. – Symphoni Shomo singled home the game-winning run in the ninth inning of the season finale to salvage a split with a 5-4 win over No. 4 Southern Arkansas after dropping the opener 9-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Southeastern Softball Field.
 
The split moves the Savage Storm 33-21 overall on the season and 27-14 in Great American Conference play, finishing third in the league standings heading into the post season tournament.
 
SE got on the board first in the series finale with a Sydnee Hinkle solo homer in the second to take a 1-0 lead.
 
Meeks would no hit SAU into the fourth inning before the Muleriders connected on a solo and a two-run homer to jump out to a 3-1 lead midway through the fourth inning.
 
Keeshia Thompson would close the gap with a solo homer of her own in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 3-2 after four.
 
SAU would tack on a solo homer in the top of the seventh to open up a 4-2 advantage.
 
The Storm responded in the bottom of the seventh, first scoring on a Mykaela Wallace double and adding the tying run on a Kennedy Salyers single and an error by the Mulerider center fielder.
 
The game would go into the ninth inning tied at 4-4 before a Shomo chop single up the middle would drive in Emily Cudd for the game-winning run.
 
Elexis Watson finished the contest 3-for-4, while Thompson, Hinkle, and Salyers each posted a pair of hits.
 
Shomo, Thompson, Hinkle, and Wallace each drove in a run.
 
Kelsey Meeks tossed a complete game to earn her league-best 27^th victory, allowing four runs, two of them earned, on six hits with seven strikeouts over 9.0 innings.
 
In the opener, Shomo, Thompson, Karsyn Brigance, and Brittany Chatellier each recorded a hit, with Thompson collecting the lone RBI.
 
Destiny Riddle got the start, but was saddled with the loss after tossing 3.0 innings and allowing six runs on six hits with a strikeout.
 
Emily Cudd tossed 2.0 innings in relief and allowed three runs on three hits with one K.
 
SE got on the board first as Shomo would lay down a bunt single and steal second, her 40^th steal of the season, before scoring on a Thompson single to center to take a 1-0 lead into the second inning.
 
That lead did not hold long as SAU sent 13 batters to the plate in the top of the second, hitting a pair of homers and piling up nine runs to take a 9-1 lead midway through the second.
 
Neither team would score over the remainder of the contest, with the Storm holding the Muleriders to one hit outside of the second inning, but were unable to mount a rally.