Softball Splits on Opening Day at ATU Invite

CONROE, Texas. – Southeastern opened the 2022 season with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Texas A&M-International to open play at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational in Conroe, Texas, but closed out the day on the short end of a 15-4 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday evening.
 
The split give SE a 1-1 record to open the season heading into day two of the event which features a 10 am matchup with No. 2 Augustana followed by a 2 p.m. contest versus No. 18 Angelo State.
 
In the opener, the Storm needed some final-inning magic to open the season with a win.
 
Kady Fryrear reached on a hit-by-pitch to open the seventh-inning and Cheyenne Mahy would follow a batter later with an RBI double to plate Fryrear and cut the deficit to0 2-1.
 
Two batters later Kamarie Wallace would single to right and move Mahy to third with one out.
 
Wallace would steal second and Marilyn Alvarado would follow with a game-tying sac fly to plate Mahy and knot the game at 2-2.
 
Jaleigh Durst would provide the game-winner a batter later with an RBI single up the middle to drive in Wallace from third for the game-winning run.
 
Mahy, Wallace, Alvarado, and Durst each collected hits in the game, with Mahy, Alvarado, and Durst adding RBI.
 
Amberlynn Walsworth would get the start and toss 5.0 innings in a no-decision, allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts.
 
Mahy would come on in relief and collect the victory after tossing 2.0 hitless and scoreless innings, facing the minimum of six hitters.
 
Kamryn Rackley collected a pair of hits in the nightcap, while Peyton Streetman, Micayla Galloway, Gracie Ore, Lauren White, and Alexis Lambert each added a hit.
 
Streetman and Rackley each posted two RBI.
 
Mahy got the start and tossed 3.1 innings in the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits with two strikeouts.
 
Galloway came on in relief and was tagged for nine runs, five of them earned, on seven hits in 1.2 innings of work.
 
TAMUK scored a run in the first and two more in the top of the third to take 3-0 lead, but a Rackley RBI single in the bottom of the third would plate Lambert and close the gap to 3-1.
 
However, the Javelinas would explode for six runs in the top of the fourth to take a 9-1 lead.
 
Southeastern had an answer in the bottom half of the inning as Streetman drove in White and Kamarie Wallace on a two-run single followed by another Rackley RBI single to score Lambert, closing the deficit to 9-4.
 
Unfortunately, TAMUK would follow with another six-run inning in the top of the fifth and this time the Storm did not have an answer as the Javelinas would hold on for the 15-4 win in five innings.