Southeastern Softball Splits Twin Bill With SNU

BETHANY, Okla. – Southeastern Oklahoma State splits Saturday's GAC doubleheader at Southern Nazarene, with the Crimson Storm clinching a series win 2-1.
 
SNU opened the day with a 6-2 win in game one, but the blue and gold came storming back in the second to win 15-7 after an eight-run inning in the top of the seventh frame. The Savage Storm had 19 hits over the two games and scored a combined 17 runs, led by four hits and three RBIS by Sabetha Sands and Kasey Simmons.

Southeastern (8-11, 1-5) remains on the road for a midweek battle at Northeastern State on Tuesday, Mar. 4. The Storm and Riverhawks will play a doubleheader, beginning at 2 p.m. 
 
GAME ONE: SNU 6, SE 2
The Crimson Storm struck first in their half of the first inning, but the blue and gold were quick to respond in the top of the third to take the lead. SE had a runner on in the top of third after an error by SNU, and back-to-back bunts from Kennedy Morgan and Channing Sarver allowed Lorryn Johnson to move up and eventually score. Sabetha Sands brought in the next run on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
 
From there, SNU chained together four straight innings with a run to extend its lead to 6-2. The hosts tied it 2-all in the bottom of the third and later plated two more in the fourth. The Crimson Storm added two more runs in the fifth and sixth before getting the final outs of the game, 6-2.
 
Sheyenne Cheek started the game in the circle and went 3.2 innings with four runs allowed on five hits, and Alyson Malone and Bailey Kite would pitch the final 2.1 frames in relief. The Savage Storm struggled at the plate, recording one hit from Morgan, while Southern Nazarene totaled 11.
 
GAME TWO: SE 15, SNU 7
Southeastern opened the scoring in game two of the doubleheader, taking a 3-0 lead into the second inning. SE led off the opening frame with three hits and a walk to score the first run, and a single by Emily Simmons laced to right field brought in two more runs for the blue and gold. The Savage Storm added to their lead in the second and third, scoring runs on fly outs from India McMurray and Saver to extend the SE edge to 5-0.
 
Meanwhile, in the circle, starting pitcher Trinity Oden gave Southeastern two scoreless frames in the first and second, but SNU eventually found a breakthrough in the bottom of the third, plating one run. Both sides hung crooked numbers in the fourth with SE adding two runs off the bats of Kasey Simmons and Morgan, but Southern Nazarene responded with four runs in its half of the inning to slash the Storm lead to 7-5.
 
SNU kept the pressure on, as they plated another run in the bottom of the fifth to make it a one-run score game 7-6. E. Simmons, who came in for relief in the fifth, limited the damage to just the one run and stranded an SNU runner to get out the inning.
 
Southeastern broke things open in the top of the seventh with an eight-run inning off seven hits. The Storm started the frame with two straight hits, and one batter later, a ground out off the bat from Iliana Olivares brought in the first run. Two more runs crossed home on the following at-bat thanks to a double ripped to right field by McMurray to extend the SE lead to 10-6. Back-to-back singles by K. Simmons and Morgan scored another pair of runs before a double by Sands cleared the bases for three runs, 15-6.