Storm Rally in the Seventh to Top ECU

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Southeastern's Hope Deanda connected on a two-run double in the right-field corner and Karsyn Brigance scored from first to send the Savage Storm to the semifinals of the Great American Conference Tournament on Saturday with a 3-2 win over vial East Central in Bentonville, Ark.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 28-27 and sets up a 5:45 p.m. matchup later on Saturday night with eighth-seeded Ouachita Baptist who upset the top seed in the game prior to advance to the semifinals.
 
SE collected just four hits on the day, with Symphoni Shomo, Destiny Riddle, Brigance, and Deanda each collecting one.
 
Elexis Watson would drive in the first run of the game, while Deanda accounted for the final two RBI on the game-winner.
 
Katie McCullar got the start and tossed 4.0 innings while allowing two runs, only one of them earned, on seven hits with one strikeout in the no decision.
 
Emily Cudd came on in relief and picked up the win after throwing 3.0 innings and allowing no runs on four hits.
 
Southeastern got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning as Shomo led off with a bunt single, before stealing second and moving to third on a Riddle sac bunt.  She would score a batter later when Watson laid down a squeeze bunt to bring her home for the 1-0 lead.
 
ECU would answer in the top of the second inning with an RBI single to even the contest at 1-1.
 
The Tigers would push runners to second and third with no outs in the top of the fifth, but the Storm would hold them to one run, falling behind 2-1 midway through the fifth inning.
 
SE would load the bases in the sixth inning and threaten, but were held off the scoreboard, but the defense kept the game close by turning a double-play in the top of the seventh to send the game to the bottom of the final inning trailing 2-1.
 
SE had a runner on first with one out when Brigance singled to put runners on first and second.  That was followed by Deanda's double into the right-field corner which scored Ivy Amador from second and Brigance from first for the game-winning run as she narrowly beat the throw to the plate for the 3-2 victory.