SE Downs Bearcats in Season Opener

DURANT, Okla. – Colton Buckner and Bryce McDermott each homered and seven different hitters collected hits as Southeastern opened the 2020 season with an 8-1 win over Northwest Missouri State on Friday afternoon at Mike Metheny Field.
 
The win is the team's first in a season opener since the 2015 season and the Storm will look to add to that when it returns to action for game's two and three in the series against the Bearcats with a Saturday double-header slated for a noon start.
 
Colton Buckner finished 2-for-3 with a solo homer and a doubles, while Davis Jenks added a pair of hits and two RBI.
 
McDermott drove in two as well on his home run, while Chris Eusay, Richard Ware, Hunter Capps each added an RBI.
 
Slayde Ortiz also added a hit in the effort.
 
Jacob Potter got the starts and tossed 5.0 innings allowing a run on four hits while striking out six to pick up the win.
 
KC Bryan finished out the game with 4.0 innings of work where he allowed just one hit while fanning six to earn a save.
 
Buckner put the Storm on the board in the bottom of the second with a leadoff solo homer to take a 1-0 lead.
 
The Bearcats would threaten in the top of the third with a hit and a walk, but Potter would fan the four-hole hitter Matt Gastner to end the threat.
 
NWMSU would get on the board in the top of the fourth with a Peter Carlson solo homer that knotted the game at 1-1.
 
Buckner would collect his second hit of the day in the bottom of the fourth, doubling down the leftfield line but would end the inning on second.
 
Ortiz singled to lead off the fifth and would come home two batters later on a McDermott two-run shot to left field.
 
Hits by Eusay and Ware would chase the starter and Capps would drive in Eusay on a double down the first base line.
 
Buckner would draw the intentional walk to load the bases and a Jenks two-run double would extend the Storm lead to 6-1 after five innings.
 
SE would take advantage of a pair of walks, first scoring when Eusay reached on an error and adding a second run in the inning on a Ware squeeze bunt that scored Herd to take an 8-1 lead through six innings.
 
That 8-1 lead would hold to be the final score as Bryan would come on to pitch the final four innings without allowing a run.