DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern clinches the series against Southwestern Oklahoma State, sweeping Thursday's doubleheader. The Savage Storm earned a run-rule win in game one, winning 10-1 in six innings, before securing a back-and-forth victory in the second, 8-4.
GAME ONE: SE 10, SWOSU 1
After a scoreless first frame, SE and SWOSU traded long balls in the second, as the Storm took a 3-1 lead. The Bulldogs notched a solo home run in the top of the second, but a three-run homer by
McKenna Simmons in the bottom half pushed SE ahead. The blue and gold chained together four hits across the inning, and a M. Simmons big fly would plate
Tally Rowland and
Kasey Simmons, who reached on a fielder's choice and a single.
Southeastern added to its lead in the fourth, extending its advantage to 4-1. A lead-off double by
India McMurray helped set up the score, and two batters later,
Iliana Olivares drove in McMurray on a single roped up the middle. SE soon exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth and would walk off the Bulldogs on its third home run of the day.
SE had runners on second and third with one out after a double by
Susan Edwards, and
Emily Simmons would blast a three-run homer over the centerfield wall to grow the lead to 7-1. Not long after McMurray lifted the second home run of the frame over the left centerfield wall to score three more runs to walk off the Bulldogs in six innings.
The Storm racked up 15 hits over the contest, led by T. Rowland with three hits and two runs scored. SE had four players record two hits, while E. Simmons (6-6) and
India McMurray each had three runs batted in. E. Simmons picked up the win in the circle, tossing 6.0 frames with one run allowed on seven hits and two strikeouts.
GAME TWO: SE 8, SWOSU 4
The Bulldogs struck first in game two, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first, but the Storm would answer back in the third with three runs.
Keegan Rowland got the inning going with a single, and was the first run to cross home on an RBI double by Edwards. SE's next two runs scored on a double by E. Simmons, lined into right center to push the Storm ahead 3-2.
The two sides continued to trade runs, with SWOSU plating two more scores in the fourth, but the lead would not last long, as the Storm scored four in the fifth to regain the advantage 7-4. SE got the inning started with a leadoff double by Edwards, and on the next at-bat, T. Rowland tied the game 4-4 with an RBI double laced into left centerfield. McMurray brought in the next run with a single hit into center field, and Olivares drove in two more runs on a single ripped up the middle, 7-4.
Southeastern added one more in the sixth off another RBI single by McMurray to score
Channing Sarver, who pinch ran for E. Simmons. McMurray was one of six players to have multiple hits, and the Storm would finish with 16 as a team. K. Rowland and Edwards each had a team-high three, and in the circle,
Alyson Malone earned the win with a complete game performance.
Southeastern (15-21, 9-11 GAC) will look to complete the sweep against Southwestern Oklahoma State tomorrow at noon from the Southeastern Softball Field.
