Rice Walk Off Grand Slam Lifts SE To Saturday Split

DURANT, Okla. – Reid Rice connected on a walk-off grand slam to salvage a Saturday split for Southeastern versus Northwestern Oklahoma State, taking the finale 7-6 after falling in game one 4-3 at Mike Metheny Field.
 
The split lifts the Savage Storm to 10-23 overall on the season and 3-18 in Great American Conference play.
 
In the finale, NWOSU would take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first but Southeastern would take advantage of a pair of errors in the bottom half of the second and knot the score at 1-1 on a Crews RBI.
 
In the top of the third, the Rangers would retake the lead on an RBI double and push it to 3-1 later in the inning on an RBI single.
 
NWOSU would push its lead to 5-1 with a pair of solo homers in the top of the fourth inning and tack on another run in the sixth on an RBI single to take a 6-1 lead.
 
SE would put two runners on via walk and HBP early in the seventh but would face a two-out situation with the bases loaded when Brady Evans and Austin Thorp each drew RBI walks to close the gap to 6-3 and set the table for Rice who would send a walk off homer over the left field wall to lift the Storm to a 7-6 win.
 
Cache Stone would lead the way in the finale for Southeastern with a pair of hits, while Rice and Cam Wheeler added one each.
 
Rice would connect on the team's only home runs and finish with four RBI, while Evans, Thorp, and Antonio Crews each added an RBI.
 
Jackson Sioson got the start and took a no decision after allowing six runs, five earned, on 10 hits with two strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
 
Jared Barta followed with two-thirds of an inning, allowing one hit.
 
Brett Tanksley would pick up the victory after a three-up, three-down inning of work before the Storm rally.
 
In game one, Cache Stone collected a pair of hits and drove in two runs to lead the SE offense, while Austin Thorp, Reid Rice, Jake Miller, Cam Wheeler, Cameron Cromer, and Kyler Copeland each added a hit.
 
Rice would tack on an RBI.
 
Dylan Turner got the start and finished with a no decision after tossing five innings and allowing two runs on six hits with one strikeout.
 
Charlie Deeds tossed 2.1 innings in relief and allowed a run on five hits with one K.
 
Hayden Alexander followed with two-thirds of an inning before Michael Minaya finished the contest with an inning of work, taking the loss after allowing a run on a hit.
 
NWOSU struck first with a solo homer in the top of the fourth inning.
 
The Storm would answer in the bottom of the fifth when Rice plated Kyler Copeland on an RBI groundout to knot the score at 1-1.
 
The Rangers would take the lead on an RBI single in the top of the sixth and added another run in the top of the eighth to mount a 3-1 lead.
 
Rice would lead off the bottom half of the inning with a single followed by a Matt Miles walk and Stone would drive in both runs on a double down the left field line to tie the game at 3-3.
 
The tie would last just one batter into the top of the ninth however as the Rangers would get a leadoff homer to take a 4-3 lead which would be the final tally.