Southeastern Drops Series Finale vs. ATU

Box Score RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Southeastern scored seven runs over the final three innings and brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth inning, but was unable to extend the contest, dropping the rubber-match of its road series at Arkansas Tech, 11-9, on Sunday afternoon in Russellville, Ark.
 
The loss drops the Savage Storm to 10-15 overall on the year and 8-7 in Great American Conference play heading into a non-conference matchup with East Central on March 18 in Ada, Okla., at 2 p.m.
 
SE held a 15-to-10 edge in hits in the game, but stranded 14 runners on the afternoon.
 
Austin Thorp led the Storm offense with three hits and an RBI.
 
Wesley Mitchell, Colton Sagely, and Chase Keeton each collected two hits, with Keeton supplying a homer.
 
Ryan Kirk, Carter Olson, Gage Dollins, and Jake Miller each added a hit.
 
Keeton's three RBI led the way, while Miller plated two, with Mitchell and Sagely driving in one apiece.
 
Colton Clawson got the start and suffered the loss after allowing six runs on four hits in an inning of work.
 
Carson Abbott and Brock Zimmer combined to toss and inning, allowing two runs and a hit.
 
Austin Hillebrandt followed with 2.1 innings, allowing a run on two hits before Tanner Carter came on to finish the fifth inning, recording a pair of outs.
 
Corbin Lingo followed and allowed two runs on two hits without recording an out, but Tristan Mills came on and tossed the final three innings, allowing no runs on just one hit.
 
Mitchell put the Storm on the board in the top of the first with a sac fly to plate Kirk for a 1-0 lead.
 
However, that lead did not last long as ATU picked up four runs in the bottom of the first and four more in the second inning to open up an 8-1 lead through two.
 
Neither team scored again till the fifth as Sagely drove in a run on an RBI groundout for SE, but the Wonder Boys matched it with a run in the bottom half of the inning to make the score 9-2.
 
ATU followed with two more runs in the sixth widening the SE deficit to 11-2 through six innings.
 
A Keeton three-run homer in the seventh got the Storm rally moving, and it was followed by an RBI single by Thorp later in the inning that brought home a run, while an error on the play brought home a second run to close the gap to 11-7 through seven innings.
 
Miller connected on a two-run, pinch-hit single in the top of the eighth to close the gap further to 11-9.
 
The Storm put a pair of runners on in the top of the ninth, but would see the game end with the go-ahead run at the plate.