The Southeastern Savage Storm softball team dropped three of its first four games in the rugged D2 First Pitch Invitational in Conroe, Texas, but managed to somewhat salvage the weekend with a 7-5 victory over nationally top-ranked University of Texas-Tyler.
Coach Mackenzie Sher’s squad will carry that 2-3 record into another tough event beginning Friday in Bentonville, Arkansas at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic.
In dropping narrow 4-2 and 3-2 verdicts to 13th rated Angelo State and St. Mary’s University respectively, Southeastern finished with a hit edge in each contest but couldn’t take advantage on the scoreboard.
Angelo State and former Savage Storm head coach Travis Scott utilized a threerun fourth inning to take the lead which they never relinquished thereafter.
Trailing 4-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, Southeastern be- gan a comeback bid as three straight players reached base. Tristan Hopkins walked in front of an Iliana Olivares single and RBI hit from Emily Simmons before a pair of groundouts and a pop out thwarted the rally.
Hopkins, Olivares, Simmons and Susan Edwards each tallied two hits for the Savage Storm.
Sher’s troops saw a 2-1 lead in the seventh slip away against St. Mary’s thanks to a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame for the walkoff to spoil a strong complete game pitching effort from Trinity Oden, who only allowed one hit through six innings.
Edwards had a strong game at the plate with three hits as Olivares added a pair.
Southeastern exploded offensively and needed all of it for an 11-10 triumph over Texas A&M International in game three, scoring twice in the bottom of the final frame for the win.
Rios doubled home Edwards, who had singled with one out, to tie the game and India McMurray reached on a two-out error that pushed across the game winner.
Simmons and McMurray each homered in the contest while Olivares stayed red hot at the plate in notching three hits. Rylie Swindall also tossed in a pair of hits. Lindsey Dubberly earned the pitching victory with one-third of an inning of scoreless relief.
An 8-3 loss to red-hot Mississippi College was the first game that Southeastern did not out-hit an opponent but Edwards remained hooked up with a pair of hits and two runs scored from the leadoff spot.
Southeastern overcame four defensive errors in the upset of Tyler, riding the strength of a massive five-run outburst in the second stanza. Oden used her bat to single home two runs in starting the uprising. Johnson added an RBI single as well while the Savage Storm put together five hits, which included McMurray, Simmons and Keegan Rowland.
On the pitching side, Oden twirled five strong innings, yielding four runs on eight hits to pick up the victory as Alyson Malone recorded her first save with an inning and two-thirds of two-hit relief.