Softball Sweeps Day One in Bentonville

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Southeastern opened play in the Alvy Early Memorial Classic with a 4-3 late-inning rally victory over Missouri-St. Louis and closed out the day with a dominant 10-2 run-rule win over Northwest Missouri State on Saturday in Bentonville, Ark.
 
The sweep lifts the Savage Storm to 6-4 on the season heading into the final two games of the weekend when they face Upper Iowa at 10 a.m. on Sunday followed by a noon matchup with Pittsburg State.
 
In the opener, Symphoni Shomo turned in a 3-for-4 effort, while five others each collected one hit.
 
Two of those hits were home runs as Karsyn Brigance and Kady Fryrear each homers and each finished with two RBI.
 
Amberlyn Walsworth got the start and tossed 4.0 innings while allowing a run on two hits with one strikeout in a no decision.
 
Ashley Hedrick tossed an inning in relief and was tagged for a pair of unearned runs before Katie McCullar came on to throw the final two innings, scattering two hits and striking out two on her way to her third win of the season.
 
Brigance would put the Storm on the board in the top of the first when she squeezed home Shomo, but the Tritons answered with a run of their own to knot the game at 1-1 after one inning.
 
UMSL would take the lead in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs on an error to go ahead 3-1.
 
Fryrear answered for SE in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer, her first of the season, to tie the game at 3-3.
 
An inning later it was Brigance's turn again, this time she connected on a solo shot, also her first of the year, to take a 4-3 lead which would hold to be the final.
 
In the nightcap against NWMSU Shomo, Tena Spoolstra, Kyia Monahwee, Ivy Amador, and Kamarie Wallace each posted a pair of hits while Brigance, Kennedy Salyers, and McCullar each turned in one.
 
Monahwee and Spoolstra each drove in three runs, with Brigance, Salyers, Fryrear, and Wallace each adding an RBI.
 
Ashley Hedrick got the start and picked up a complete game victory after tossing 5.0 innings and allowing two runs on five hits with one strikeout.
 
NWMSU took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo homer, but the Storm answered in the third.
 
Brigance put SE on the board with an RBI single to drive in Shomo, and a batter later Monahwee put the Storm in front with a two-run homer to take a 3-1 lead.
 
A Wallace RBI single later in the inning would give Southeastern a 4-1 lead midway through the third.
 
The Bearcats picked up a run in the bottom of the third, but again the Storm had an answer.
 
In the top of the fourth Shomo would start the scoring by coming home on a bunt single by Salyers which was followed by an RBI triple by Monahwee before SE finished its scoring when Monahwee scored on a Fryrear RBI groundout to take a 7-2 lead midway through the fourth.
 
After retiring NWMSU in order in the bottom of the fourth, the Storm went back to work, loading the bases for Spoolstra who cleared them with a three-run double to take a 10-2 lead.
 
Hedrick would work through the bottom of the fifth facing five batters to preserve the 10-2 run-rule win.