BETHANY - There's something about
Skye Ah Yat in the big moment.
Down 3-2 with two down, the bases loaded, and a full count, the freshman from Kaneohe, Hawai'i laced a two RBI single right up the middle to give Southern Nazarene a 4-3 win, ultimately earning a split on the afternoon as SNU dropped game two 8-0 in five innings.
In the last four home games SNU has played, Ah Yat now has two walk-off wins including an 11th inning walk-off home run two weeks ago against Arkansas-Monticello.
In game one, it was a pitcher's duel for most of the contest as
Brooklyn Sparkman and Katie McCullar traded scoreless innings through five complete. After Sparkman got another scoreless frame in the top of the sixth, SNU moved ahead 2-0 after
Caitlyn Curlee blasted a two-run bomb off the top of the scoreboard to put the Crimson Storm on top.
SNU was suddenly three outs away, but a two-round bomb and a RBI double from the Savage Storm flipped the game and gave Southeastern a 3-2 lead as it now looked as if they were going to escape with a win.
With one down,
Jacey James singled followed by a double from
Mahina Sauer. After an intentional walk to
Riley Kalman and a strikeout, Ah Yat stepped to the plate and put together a masterful at bat, working the count to full while fouling many pitches off. She would get the pitch she wanted and rip it right back up the middle, scoring James and Sauer for the win.
Ah Yat went 1-for-3 with the two-RBI walk-off while Curlee was 1-for-4 with the two-run bomb. Kalman added a 2-for-3 day with a double while Sauer was 1-for-2 with a double, a run, and two walks.
Sparkman (W, 15-7) took the win, going the distance and allowing three runs on seven hits to go with three strikeouts.
Game two was a differnt story as SNU fell behind 2-0 in the first and never could quite climb back into it. The Savage Storm used three in the third, one in the fourth, and two in the fifth to break it open and take the 8-0 win in five.
James, Kalman, and
Hailie Fellers had the only hits for SNU while five different pitchers took the circle with
Caitlin Lewis being dealt the loss. The pitching staff could not find any rhythm all game long.
SNU moves to 21-23 overall and 16-17 in the GAC. They return to action tomorrow as they conclude the series with Southeastern and celebrate their lone senior in Kalman on Senior Day. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
