BETHANY, Okla. — Southern Nazarene used the help of a
Katelyn Brown home run to propel the Crimson Storm to a 9-5 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State in the opening game. The Bulldogs found themselves on the other side of a 9-5 game as they took the second game Friday afternoon.
After a scoreless first, Southern Nazarene (9-25, 7-17 GAC) scored the first run of the day in the second.
Sam Smith led the inning off with an infield single then stole second to move into scoring position. Smith came around to score after
Kriston Shumaker hit an RBI single up the middle.
Southwestern Oklahoma State (11-19, 5-15 GAC) erupted for four runs in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. The Crimson Storm called the Bulldogs four runs, as they answered with four runs of their own in the third.
Katelyn Brown tied the game up at 4-4 as her three-run home run down the left field line plated three runs. The Storm retook the lead later in the inning after
Riley Brown beat out a bunt that allowed Smith to score, making it a 5-4 game.
SWOSU tied the game up at 5-5 in the fourth, but SNU retook the lead with three runs in the fourth.
Amy Reynolds highlighted the inning with a two-RBI single to right. The single scored
Hannah LeBeau and
Mahina Sauer, making it an 8-5 game. The Storm's last run came in the sixth off of a sacrifice fly from Reynolds to score Smith.
Brown pitched a scoreless seventh, giving SNU a 9-5 victory. Brown (7-10) got the win after giving up five runs, on eight hits, in seven innings of work. Southern Nazarene had four players record multiple hits as Sauer, LeBeau, Smith, and
Riley Brown all notched two hits apiece.
Katelyn Brown went 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs.
In the nightcap, Southwestern Oklahoma State got out to an early lead as the Bulldogs were able to score four runs in the third. SNU made it a one-run game in the third, as they answered wit three runs. The Storm scored on a bases loaded walk, an error and a Smith infield single. SWOSU scored two more runs in the fourth to make it a 6-3 game.
The Crimson Storm got a run back in the fourth as a
Hope Martin single through the left side scored Shumaker. The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the fifth to put the score at 8-4. SNU was able rally for one more run in the fifth, but that's all the Storm could manage as Southwestern Oklahoma State tacked on one more run in sixth on their way to a 9-5 win.
Sauer took the loss (2-7) as she gave up four runs on nine hits in 4.0 innings of work. Smith went 2-for-4 and Sauer went 1-for-2, extending her hitting-streak to eight games.
