SHAWNEE, Okla. – Southeastern suffered back-to-back heartbreaking defeats to No. 17 Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday afternoon. The Savage Storm led in both games heading into the final frames of both contests, but late runs by the Bison would prove to be the difference makers.
SE (13-21, 7-11 GAC) heads back to Durant to host Southwestern Oklahoma State in a three-game series on April 2 and 3 at the Southeastern Softball Field.
GAME ONE: OBU 10, SE 9
SE applied pressure early, loading the bases in the top of the first, and for the second time this weekend,
Tally Rowland blasted a grand slam over the right center field wall to give the Storm a 4-0 edge. The Bison would pull a pair of runs back in the bottom half to cut the blue and gold's lead in half, 4-2.
After a scoreless second, runs picked up again in the third, with SE scoring two in the top half and OBU adding one in the bottom half.
Emily Simmons drove in both scores on a two-run home run to extend the gap to 6-2 before the Bison scored a run in the bottom of the third, 6-3. Oklahoma Bison soon tied the game 6-all with three runs in the fourth, but the Storm quickly replied with three runs in the fifth on RBI hits from Simmons and T. Rowland to regain the lead 9-6.
However, the Bison came charging back and tied the game 9-9 after scoring a run in the bottom of the fifth and seventh. The momentum stayed with the home side, as Oklahoma Baptist scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth, 10-9.
SE scattered five hits, led by E. Simmons and T. Rowland with a pair of hits, and the pair would combine to drive in all nine runs. The Storm used a trio of arms in the circle, with
Trinity Oden starting the game and pitching 3.1 frames with six runs allowed on six hits.
Lindsey Dubberly and
Alyson Malone combined to close out the game, and Malone would fall to 4-5.
GAME TWO: OBU 3, SE 2
Oklahoma Baptist struck first in game two during the opening inning for a 1-0 lead after a solo home run. The Storm were limited early by the Bison, but would soon put pressure on the hosts with the bases loaded in the third, though the breakthrough would not come as OBU held its 1-0 edge.
SE eventually broke through in the top of the fifth, plating two runs behind three hits to grab a 2-1 lead. The Storm led off the frame with a single by
Kasey Simmons, which was followed by a hit from Olivares to put runners on first and third, and on the next at-bat, an error by the Bison brought pinch runner
Serenity Oden to tie the game 1-1. Two batters later, E. Simmons laced an RBI single through the left side to make it 2-1.
However, similar to game one of the day, the Bison looked to make a push late, scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game 2-all and later score a run in the bottom of the seventh to win 3-2. SE tallied five hits in the game, while
Alyson Malone fell to 4-6 in the circle after tossing all 7.0 innings.
