Storm Baseball Splits Twinbill, Wins Series at HSU

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Austin Parker put up four hits on the day and Southeastern compiled 20 hits over two games on its way to a Saturday split at Henderson State, taking game one 11-7 before falling in the series finale 9-6, in Arkadelphia, Ark.
 
The split gives the Savage Storm a series victory, its second-straight on the season, and lifts them to 6-4 overall on the year and 4-2 in Great American Conference play.
 
In the opener, Isaac Villa, Parker, Easton Ford, and Jax Heid each logged two hits, while Ryan Kirk, JJ Bush, Jacob Ambriz, Alex Showalter, and Gage Dollins each added one.
 
Kirk homered in his hit, while Villa and Parker each doubled.
 
Villa turned in a game-high four RBI, with Kirk driving in three, while Ford, Ambriz, Heid, and Dollins each drove in one.
 
Estevan Fonseca got the start and tossed 4.2 innings in a no decision, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits in 4.2 innings of work.
 
Daniel Collins followed and piked up the win after tossing 2.2 innings and allowing three runs on two hits with four K's.
 
Juan Berrios tossed two-thirds of an inning and allowed a run on a hit with two strikeouts, with Carson Abott finishing the game with an inning of work, striking out three of the four batters he faced.
 
HSU jumped out in front in the second and added two more in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead.
 
SE exploded in the top of the sixth with Ford putting the Storm on the board with an RBI double, followed by an RBI single by Heid to close the gap to 3-2.
 
Villa followed by bringing in two runs on a single to center to take a 4-2 lead and Kirk tacked on three more runs a batter later on a three-run homer to center, pushing the lead to 7-3.
 
A Dollins RBI single and a Villa two-run double in the top of the seventh extended that lead to 10-3, and one more run on an Ambriz RBI single pushed the edge to 11-3.
 
The Reddies picked up four runs in the bottom of the eighth, but that was where the rally ended as the Storm held on for an 11-7 win.
 
In the finale, Bush and Parker each collected two hits, while Villa, Kirk, and Ambriz each added one.
 
Villa, Kirk, Parker, Ambriz, and Showalter each recorded an RBI.
 
Jacob Fuller got the start and suffered the loss, tossing 3.2 innings and allowing eight runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
 
Marcus Mott followed with a run on two hits without recording an out before Ryan Rauss stepped in and logged the final 2.1 innings, striking out five and allowing just one hit.
 
SE jumped out in front early with a five-run second inning as Ambriz, Showalter, Villa, and Kirk each logged RBI to pish the lead to 5-0.
 
HSU got a run back in the bottom half, but would pile on eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 9-5 lead.
 
Parker singled home another run in the top of the fifth, but the Storm were unable to mount a rally in t he 9-6 loss.