Storm Sweep Rival Tigers in Saturday Twinbill

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern bounced back from a series-opening loss to pick up an 11-9 walk-off win in 11 innings in the opener on Saturday before winning the rubber match 8-1 in a darkness-shortened game at Mike Metheny Field.
 
The wins move the Savage Storm to 28-19 overall on the season and 19-14 in Great American Conference play, locking up fourth in the standings. 
 
JJ Bush and Easton Ford each collected three hits, with Bush homering twice while Ford cleared the wall once.
 
Jacob Ambriz added a pair of hits, one of them a double, while Ryan Kirk, Austin Parker, Carter Olson, Jax Heid, and Hayden Carpenter each had a hit.
 
Olson homered and drove in a pair of runs, while Bush finished with three RBI and Heid added two.
 
Kirk, Parker, Ford, and Ambriz each drove in one.
 
Daniel Collins got the start and took a no decision after allowing five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts over 3.1 innings.
 
Juan Berrios followed with 3.2 innings and allowed three runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
 
Marcus Mott logged an inning of hitless ball with one strikeout before handing to Brock Zimmer who was tagged for a run on a hit with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings.
 
Carson Abbott finished the game and picked up the win in one-third of an inning.
 
ECU jumped in front in the opener with three runs in the top of the first before Bush smashed a solo homer to right to close the deficit to 3-1.
 
Heid drove in a pair of runs on a single in the bottom of the second to even the score at 3-3.
 
The Tigers tacked on two more runs in the top of the third, regaining a lead at 5-3.
 
Ford connected on a solo homer in the sixth, closing the gap to 5-4, but ECU followed with three runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-4 lead.
 
SE responded in the bottom half of the seventh, first with an RBI single by Bush followed by a RBI singles from Kirk, Parker, and Ambriz to tie the game at 8-8.
 
That would force extra innings and in the top of the 11th the Tigers regained the lead with a run off a close play at first and a missed play at the plate.
 
In the bottom half, Bush opened with a solo homer to tie the game and three batters later Olson ended it with a two-run, walk-off homer to win the game 11-9.
 
In game two, Kirk and Parker logged two hits each, while Olson, Logan Rose, and Heid each added a hit.
 
Olson and Rose each homered while Kirk added a double.
 
Olson finished with three RBI and Rose drove in two while Kirk, Parker, and Heid plated one apiece.
 
Jacob Fuller got the start and earned the win after tossing the first four innings and slowing a run on three hits with four strikeouts.
 
Colton Clawson closed out the game with a scoreless inning. 
 
In the nightcap, the Storm jumped ahead in the bottom of the first inning with Kirk doubling in a run followed by a Parker RBI single and an Olson two-run homer to left to mount a 4-0 lead out of the gate.
 
ECU picked up a run in the top of the third, but the Storm had an answer in the bottom half, first on a Rose two-run homer followed by an RBI single by Heid to push the lead to 7-1.
 
The game would enter a one hour and 43 minute delay in the bottom of the fourth, but when play resumed with two runners on for the Storm, Olson would drive in a run on an RBI groundout to make the score 8-1.
 
That would hold up as the final after the teams completed the fifth inning and the game was called due to darkness.