Taylor Powers SE to Quarterfinal Win at GAC Tourney

DURANT, Okla. – Reese Taylor tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout to help lift Southeastern to a 4-0 win over Arkansas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Great American Conference Tournament on Thursday morning in Bentonville, Ark.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 31-25 overall on the season and moves them into a Friday semifinal matchup with the winner between top-seeded Oklahoma Baptist and No. 8 seed Southern Nazarene. That semifinal matchup is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in Bentonville, Ark.
 
Southeastern's win earns them their third semifinal appearance in the four seasons since the tournament has been single elimination while handing the Golden Suns their first loss at the GAC tournament since May 5, 2017.
 
Taylor tossed her sixth shutout of the season and picked up win number 11 as she allowed just three hits and struck out three over seven innings of work.
 
Bailey Beard collected a pair of hits, one of them a double, to lead the way for the Storm, while Gracie Ore and Cheyenne Mahy each doubled, and Kady Fryrear and Kamryn Rackley each singled in the win.
 
Mahy and Rackley each drove in a run in the effort.
 
SE put runners on in the first and second innings while ATU put a runner on in the second, but neither team was able to bring in a run over the first two innings.
 
The Storm would break through first in the bottom of the third inning as Ore and Mahy opened the inning with back-to-back doubles, with Mahy's plating Ore for a 1-0 lead.
 
After a Fryrear walk and an Alexis Massie sac bunt, Taylor would draw a walk to load the bases.
 
A passed ball on the ensuing batter would bring home Mahy for a 2-0 lead.
 
Two batters later it was Rackley who would single up the middle to drive in Taylor and an error by the ATU centerfielder would allow McMurray to come around and score, pushing the lead to 4-0.
 
Taylor struck out the side in the fourth and survived a one-out double in the fifth to leave the score 4-0.
 
SE would again get out of a little trouble in the sixth, coaxing a flyout to end the inning with a pair of runners on and would ultimately take the 4-0 lead to the seventh inning.
 
Taylor would retire the first two batters before surrendering a walk, but the following batter would be the last on a groundout to third base to preserve the 4-0 win.