Softball Completes Sweep of Rangers

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern came from behind twice to polish off a sweep of Northwestern Oklahoma State, picking up a 6-4 win in game one on Saturday before closing the series with a walk-off squeeze bunt for a 5-4 victory at the Southeastern Softball Field.
 
The wins lift the Savage Storm to 24-26 overall and 22-18 in Great American Conference play with four games remaining on the schedule April 26-27 at the SE Softball Field.
 
Symphoni Shomo and Katie McCullar each logged a pair of hits in game one, while five other collected one apiece.
 
Keeshia Thompson accounted for two RBI, while Destiny Riddle, Elexis Watson, Katie McCullar, and Kennedy Salyers each drove in one.
 
McCullar got the start and threw the first three innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts before Riddle came on in relief and tossed dour hitless innings with three strikeouts to earn the win.
 
NWOSU opened game one by sending nine batters to the plate and scoring four runs off five hits to tale a 4-0 lead midway through the first.
 
Shomo would lead off the bottom half of the inning with a bunt single before stealing second, moving to third on a Destiny Riddle flyout and scoring on a sac fly by Watson to cut into the deficit and make the score 4-1.
 
After two and a half quiet innings, the Storm got a two-out solo homer from McCullar which cleared the scoreboard in left field to cut the deficit to 4-2 after four innings.
 
Southeastern would complete the rally in the fifth inning, loading the bases and scoring a run on a Riddle single through the left side to close the gap to 4-3.
 
The Rangers would record the second out at home a batter later, but Thompson would sneak a single through the left side of the infield off a deflection on a diving attempt which allowed Shomo and Riddle to score and give the Storm a 5-4 lead after five innings.
 
SE added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning as Salyers squeezed home MyKaela Wallace to push the lead to 6-4 heading to the seventh where SE would retire the Rangers in order.
 
Shomo, Riddle, Brigance and Hope Deanda recorded SE's four hits, with Deanda driving in two runs while Shomo and Riddle each had an RBI.
 
Emily Cudd got the start but left after 1.1 innings and allowing three runs, two of them earned, on four hits with two strikeouts.
 
Katie McCullar would toss 5.0 innings in relief and allow a run on six hits with two more K's.
 
Riddle then finished the game with two-thirds of an inning pitched, picking up the victory, her second of the day.
 
In the finale, NWOSU put up three runs in the top of the second inning to take the early lead.
 
That lead did not last long as the Storm had an answer in the bottom of the second, first picking up two runs on a Deanda double to right and a batter later Shomo would reach on an error and drove in one while the error allowed Deanda to score from second to take a 4-3 lead after two innings.
 
NWOSU would tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the fourth on an RBI double.
 
The Rangers loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh, but MyKaela Wallace climbed the ladder at second base to rob a hit and keep the score tied at 4-4.
 
Shomo would then lead off the bottom of the seventh with a ball that cleared the center fielder for a triple which set up a Riddle squeeze bunt to score the game winning run and complete the sweep with a 5-4 win.