Storm Fall in Series Opener to SAU

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern was bitten by a trio of costly errors on Friday afternoon in a 9-1 series-opening loss to Southern Arkansas at Mike Metheny Field.
 
The loss drops the Savage Storm to 11-7 overall on the season and 7-6 in Great American Conference play with the final two games of the series slated for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
 
Slayde Ortiz picked up a pair of hits to lead SE, while Richard Ware, Reid Rice, Blake McQuain, and Joseph Ramirez each logging a hit.
 
McQuain would drive in the only Storm run.
 
Dylan Turner got the start and tossed 5.0 innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits with five strikeouts and was saddled with the loss.
 
KC Bryan would come on in relief and face six batters in the top of the sixth, retiring two of them by strikeouts but walked two and allowed two unearned runs.
 
Coby Langford would follow Bryan and allow a hit and a walk while striking out three in 1.1 innings of work.
 
Jordan Compton came on for the eighth and was tagged for three runs on three hits with one strikeout.
 
Connor Priest would finish the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
 
SAU opened scoring in the top of the third, taking advantage of a leadoff double to plate a run on a sac fly for a 1-0 lead.
 
SE answered with hits from Ramirez and Ware to put runners on the corners with two outs but were unable to bring a run home.
 
The Muleriders would tack on another run in the top of the fourth to open a 2-0 lead.
 
Four walks, a hit batter and two errors would prove costly in the top of the sixth as SAU put up four runs without recording a hit to take a 6-0 lead.
 
SE got a leadoff double by Rice and a single by Ortiz and had runners at second and third with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, but was unable to come away with a run.
 
A three-run homer for the Mulerider would stretch the lead to 9-0 in the eighth.
 
Ortiz would double with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and come home a batter later on a McQuain pinch-hit RBI single down the leftfield line to cut into the deficit and make the final 9-1.