Rice, McQuain Provide Walk Off Fireworks in Sweep

DURANT, Okla. – Reid Rice and Blake McQuain provided walk off power as Southeastern completed a sweep of Southern Nazarene with a pair of final at bat victories, taking game one 9-8 before closing the series with a 5-4 win in eight innings on Saturday afternoon at Mike Metheny Field.
 
All three games in the series ended on the final at bat as Rice and McQuain joined Joseph Ramirez who provided a walk off single to win the series opener on Friday.
 
The wins lift the Savage Storm to 20-18 overall and 12-12 in Great American Conference play on the season.
 
To open the day, Rice, Damon Burroughs, and Cameron French each homered, while Cache Stone added a double.
 
John David Muse and Matt Miles would also add a hit each in the contest.
 
French would finish with three RBI, while Burroughs would drive in two.
 
Sam Creed, Ramirez, and Rice would each add an RBI.
 
Michael Barta got the start and tossed 5.1 innings in a no decision, allowing six runs on six hits with eight strikeouts.
 
Jordan Compton would come on and earn his second win of the season in relief, allowing a pair of unearned runs while striking out four in 3.2 innings pitched.
 
SNU got on the board first with a solo homer in the top of the first and stretched its lead to 2-0 with an RBI groundout in the fifth inning.
 
The Storm answered in the bottom half of the fifth, first with a bases-loaded walk drawn by Creed to drive in the first run of the game before Ramirez would bring in John David Muse on a sac fly to deep right field, knotting the game at 2-2.
 
The tie was short-lived as the Crimson Storm would break it with a solo homer in the top of the sixth before pushing the lead to 6-2 on a three-run homer later in the inning.
 
Southeastern found an answer in the bottom of the sixth as French sent a three-run homer over the left-center wall to close the gap to 6-5.
 
SE would take its first lead an inning later as Burroughs line a two-run homer to left to put the Storm in front 7-6.
 
SNU would take advantage of three Storm errors in the top of the ninth to regain the lead at 8-7.
 
In the bottom half of ninth, Cache Stone would connect on a pinch-hit double and Cory Bonstrom would come on to run for him.
 
Bonstrom moved to third on an Austin Thorp groundout and tied the game on a passed ball.
 
Two batters later Rice would crush a game-winning homer to left-center field to earn a walk off 9-8 victory.
 
In the finale, Rice, Morrow, and Dylan Herd each posted a pair of hits, while Stone, McQuain, and Muse added one apiece.
 
Rice would provide a pair of RBI, with Morrow, McQuain, and Muse driving in one each.
 
Dylan Turner got the start and tossed 4.2 innings and logged a no decision after allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
 
Cameron Hauch followed with 1.1 innings pitched and allowed a run on two hits with one strikeout.
 
Connor Priest would finish the game with 2.0 innings without allowing a run on four hits to earn his first win of the season while striking out four.
 
The Crimson Storm took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-run homer, but Rice would answer with a two-run homer of his own in the bottom half of the inning to knot the score at 2-2.
 
Muse would give Southeastern the lead when he plated Morrow on an RBI fielder's choice in the fourth.
 
SNU would retake the lead in the top of the fifth with a two-run single, taking a 4-3 lead.
 
A Morrow solo shot in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game at 4-4.
 
That score would survive the seventh inning unchanged and Priest would get out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth to leave the score tied.
 
McQuain would pinch hit to lead off the bottom half of the eighth and he would send the second pitch of his at bat over the right-center wall to walk off with the 5-4 victory.