DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern Oklahoma Stae secured the series win over Arkansas-Monticello on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep, winning game one 3-1 and the second contest 4-1.
The Savage Storm tallied 14 hits over the two games, recording seven hits in each contest, led by
India McMurray with three knocks. The SE pitching staff racked up 19 strikeouts in the 14.0 innings, including a season-high 11 from
Emily Simmons in the 3-1 win in game one.
GAME ONE: SE 3, UAM 1
In game one, SE took a 1-0 lead in the first behind a strong start from starting pitcher Simmons, who got back-to-back strikeouts to end the first and struck out the side in the second. The SE bats went to work in the bottom of the first with a leadoff triple by
Sabetha Sands, who scored two batters later to give the Storm a 1-0 edge.
SE was under pressure in the top of the third as the Blossoms loaded the bases. Simmons navigated through the traffic on the basepath to get the final out of the inning on a strikeout and later stranded a runner on third in the top of the fourth with back-to-back swinging punchouts.
The Blossom eventually found a breakthrough in the top of the fifth to tie the game one-all with a run scoring off a throwing error by the Storm. However, Southeastern answered back in the bottom half with a two-out RBI single by
Sage Harlow and an RBI double from
Iliana Olivares to push SE back ahead 3-1.
Simmons allowed just one hit over the final two frames to hold off the Blossoms for a 3-1 win and improve to 11-6 in the circle. The sophomore starting pitcher scattered five hits for one run and had a season-high 11 strikeouts.
GAME TWO: SE 4, UAM 1
Southeastern was first on the board in game two, as the Storm took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. A walk and hit by
Laci Larsen and
Susan Edwards had runners on the corners with one out. Two batters latter,
Trinity Oden ripped a bases-clearing double to center field to score the pair of runners.
UAM replied with a run in the top of the fourth on two hits, but the blue and gold were swift to respond, adding two more runs in the fifth to stretch the lead to 4-1. A leadoff hit by Olivares turned into the first run scored, as a sacrifice hit by Edwards brought pinch-runner
Serenity Oden home to make it 3-1. Moments later, a wild pitch from the Blossoms allowed McMurray to score from third to push the score to 4-1.
Arkansas-Monticello threatened to scratch in runs in the sixth and seventh, getting runners on in both frames, but the relief pitcher
Sheyenne Cheek would limit the Blossoms, as Cheek picked up her first save of the season, pitching the final 2.0 innings with zero runs allowed.
Alyson Malone, who came in for starting pitcher T. Oden, went 2.0 frames and scattered two hits for zero runs, and got a pair of strikeouts to get her fourth win in the circle.
Southeastern (23-21, 14-11) closes out the series with UAM tomorrow at noon from the Southeastern Softball field as the Storm looks to complete the series sweep.
