Needing a sweep to stay in the thick of the Great American Conference postseason race, the Southeastern softball team got exactly that last weekend against visiting Southwestern.
The Savage Storm won the opener 10-1 and were 8-4 winners in game two before finishing off the three-game sweep by rallying for a 3-2 victory. That improved their league record to 10-11 and moved them all alone into sixth place in the GAC standings with four weekends remaining in the regular season.
Southeastern rode a strong pitching performance from Emily Simmons to the first triumph as she scattered seven hits over six innings, struck out two and walked none.
The Savage Storm actually trailed 1-0 in the second stanza before McKenna Simmons blasted a three-run homer to left field for the lead. They added a single run in the fourth and broke it wide open in the sixth frame when Emily Simmons helped her own cause with a three-run home run and India McMurray also chipped in a homer that drove in the final three runs.
Local product Tally Rowland fueled the 15-hit offensive attack with three hits, including a double. McMurray, Susan Edwards, Emily Simmons and Kasey Simmons all posted a pair of hits.
In the second contest, Southeastern trailed again 2-0 but rallied with three runs in the third frame on run-scoring doubles off the bats of Edwards and Emily Simmons. It took a four-run explosion in the fifth inning to take the lead for good, however. Rowland knotted the score with a double with Mc-Murray and Iliana Olivares chipping in RBI hits to go in front for good.
Alyson Malone pitched the complete game for the win while yielding nine hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
Edwards and Keegan Rowland notched three hits apiece with Emily Simmons, Tally Rowland and McMurray each adding two.
The finale was much more of a defensive pitcher’s duel and the Savage Storm was down to its final outs while trailing 2-1 in the seventh. Kasey Simmons started the comeback with a single up the middle and McMurray followed by walking it off with a home run.
That made a pitching winner of Trinity Oden, who went the distance and allowed seven hits, struck out four and walked a pair.
Tristan Hopkins, Tally Rowland and Kasey Simmons all had two hits for Southeastern.
The Savage Storm will be back on the road Friday for their next league series at Arkansas- Monticello.
