Storm Sweep ECU in Saturday Twinbill

ADA, Okla. – Southeastern made the short drive North to Ada, Okla., and opened its series with rival East Central in style by sweeping a Saturday doubleheader, taking the opener 9-2 before taking the nightcap 9-4.
 
The wins lift the Savage Storm to 16-19 overall and 12-17 in Great American Conference play with the final game of the series slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
 
To open the day Colton Buckner had a pair of hits as did Joseph Ramirez, while Seth Morrow, Richard Ware, Reid Rice, Rylee Holmes, Aaron Herrera, and Dylan Herd each picked up one hit.
 
Ware's hit went for home run, while Rice, Holmes, Herd, and Herrera each doubled.
 
Herrera ed the way with three RBI and Ware added two. Buckner, Rice, and Holmes each drove in one.
 
Jacob Potter got the start on the hill and got back in the win column after allowing two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work.
 
Dylan Turner would come on in relief and toss the final 2.2 innings, allowing a hit and striking out three to earn his first save of the season.
 
Southeastern wasted no time getting on the board as Ware would connect on a two-out solo homer in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.
 
That would extend to 2-0 later in the inning as Buckner would draw a walk, move to second on a wild pitch and score on a Rice RBI double.
 
The Tigers would get a run back in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI groundout to cut the gap in half to 2-1.
 
Ware would plate his second RBI in the top of the third inning as he reached on an error while driving in Dylan Herd for a 3-1 lead.
 
The scoreboard went quiet over the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings before ECU picked up a run in the seventh to close the gap to 3-2.
 
SE would pick up insurance runs in a big way in the top of the ninth, starting by loading the bases on a hit by pitch, a walk and an error.
 
Colton Buckner would drive in Morrow on a sac fly, reaching safely on an error, stretching the lead to 4-2.
 
A Wild pitch would bring home Slayde Ortiz and after a Reid Rice walk, a Rylee Holmes hit by pitch would bring home Ware to make the score 6-2 and leave the bases loaded.
 
Two batters later Herrera would connect on a two-out three-run double to left center, pushing the lead out to 9-2 which would hold up as the final score.
 
IN game two, Rice would turn in a 3-for-3 effort, while Morrow and Herrera each had two hits.
 
Ortiz, Ware, and Ramirez each had a hit.
 
Herrera drove in three runs in the game, while Morrow had two RBI as did Holmes. Rice and Ramirez each finished with one RBI.
 
Tyler Dean got the start and tossed 3.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with one strikeout in a no decision.
 
Jacob Bigham would pick up the win in relief after posting 4.0 innings and allowing two unearned runs on five hits with three strikeouts.
 
SE jumped out in front first in the nightcap as well, loading the bases with one out Before Rice, Ramirez, Holmes, and Herrera each connected on consecutive RBI, taking a 4-0 lead midway through the first inning.
 
ECU responded in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs to cut the Storm lead to 4-2.
 
The Tigers would close the gap further with a run in the fourth to close to 4-3, but SE had an answer in the top of the fifth when Herrera connected on a two-run single, plating Rice and Ramirez for a 6-3 lead.
 
Homes would bring home another run in the top of the seventh on a sac fly, stretching the lead to 7-3.
 
Morrow got into the act two batters later with a two-run single to left, driving in Ramirez and Rice and giving the Storm a 9-3 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh.
 
ECU would get a run back on an error in the bottom of the seventh to close the final score to 9-4.