Rice Blasts SE Past Bronchos in 10-3 Win

DURANT, Okla. – Reid Rice homered twice and drove in five runs as Southeastern cruised to a 10-3 win over Central Oklahoma on Wednesday afternoon at Mike Metheny Field.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 12-4 on the season before jumping back into Great American Conference play March 4-5 with a road series in Bethany, Okla., against Southern Nazarene.
 
Rice turned in a 2-for-4 effort with two home runs, driving in five RBI on the day.
 
Cameron French also collected a pair of hits, as did Blake McQuain and Angel Ochoa.
 
Ochoa also added an RBI, as did Dylan Herd.
 
Herd, Richard Ware, and Joseph Ramirez each added a hit.
 
Conner Priest got the start and tossed 4.0 innings, allowing two runs, both unearned, on two hits with six strikeouts.
 
KC Bryan would face a pair of batters and was tagged with a run before Coby Langford came on and tossed the next 3.0 innings, scattering two hits while earning the win.
 
Dillion Bumgarner would toss an inning and strike out one before Cody White came on to toss the top of the ninth, retiring the side in order.
 
SE jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, with Ramirez coming home on a wild pitch before Ochoa drew a bases loaded walk to drive in French.
 
UCO would answer with two runs in the top of the fourth on a pair of RBI hits to tie the game at 2-2.
 
It would not remain tied long as McQuain would double in the bottom half of the fourth, followed by a Ramirez walk which set the table for Rice's first home run, a three-run shot to right-center to open up a 5-3 lead.
 
The Bronchos would get a run back in the top of the fifth, but SE would answer that run in the bottom half as Ochia scored on a failed UCO pick off play.
 
Three batters later Herd would come home on a wild pitch and Rice would top off the four-run inning with a two-run homer to extend the lead to 9-3.
 
An RBI single by Herd in the bottom of the eighth would push the Storm lead to the final score of 10-3.