Evans Walk-Off Homer Lifts SE to Win

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern hit five home runs on the day, but it was the final one, a pinch-hit walk-off homer by Hayden Evans that provided the difference in an 11-10 win over Southern Nazarene in 10 innings on Wednesday afternoon at Mike Metheny Field.
 
The win gets the Savage Storm back in the win column, lifting them to 21-6 overall on the season heading back into conference play with a weekend series in Magnolia, Ark., against Southern Arkansas.
 
Evans stepped to the plate to lead off the bottom of the 10^th inning and homered to left to lift SE to the win.
 
SE jumped out to a 6-0 lead, with a solo Blake McQuain homer and a three-run single by Richard Ware in the bottom of the first before a passed ball brought home Dylan Herd and Joseph Ramirez added a solo homer to put up a pair of runs in the second.
 
SNU would close the gap with four runs in the top of the sixth inning, but the Storm would answer with a pinch-running Michael Bernhardt scoring on a balk, followed by a two-run homer by Seth Morrow and a batter later Reid Rice added a solo shot for a 10-4 lead.
 
The Crimson Storm would pick up five runs in the seventh and another in the ninth to tie the game at 10-10 which would send the game to extra innings, setting the stage for Evans' heroics.
 
Morrow led the way with a 3-for-5 outing with a homer and two RBI, while Rice and McQuain each added a pair of hits with a homer and an RBI each.
 
Ramirez and Evans each had a homer and an RBI, while Angel Ochoa and Ware added a hit each.
 
Ware drove in three runs, with Morrow finishing with two RBI, while Evans, Ramirez, and Rice had one apiece.
 
Hayden Alexander got the start and tossed 5.2 innings in a no decision, allowing four runs on four hits with six strikeouts.
 
KC Bryan followed and was tagged for three runs on two hits in one-third of an inning, followed by Cody White who allowed a pair of runs on two hits in one third of an inning.
 
Kenneth Klier came on and struck out three while not allowing a hit in 1.2 innings of work.
 
Jackson Sioson came on in the ninth looking for a save but allowed a run on two hits with a strikeout in two innings of work, losing the save but picking up his first victory of the season.