BETHANY – An eleven-run deficit going into 7^th inning put the Crimson Storm in a hole they could not climb out of as everything seemed to be working in favor of the East Central Tigers, leaving Southern Nazarene winless in the weekend series.
 
With wins of 19-4 and 9-4, SNU (4-10, 0-6 GAC) had no answer for the offensive power of ECU (7-8, 4-2 GAC) as their bats kept rolling. A slow start and slow finish plagued the Storm today as they weren't able to put the pieces together to get a win.
 
In game one, ECU got off to a hot start as Dylan Lang popped things off win a two-run homer. The game would then sit scoreless until the Tigers tacked on a few more runs, but this was answered by a Tyler Broyles score, off an Austin Glock hit and a Brian Brown single that brought in Carlos Michel. Unfortunately, East Central turned things up a notch as the 7^th inning saw eight total runs cross the plate, bringing the score to 19-4 and ending the game.
 
Trever Smith would get the start on the mound for SNU as he pitched 4.2 innings, striking out a season-high five batters. Smith would be credited with the loss, bringing his season record to 1-2. Noah Serrano would come in as relief, but his time would be short lived as he would only face three batters. Adrian Flores stepped up next and saw action in one inning, striking out one.
 
Rounding things off on the mound was Austin Slate and Zach Birkle who each pitched 0.2 innings. Birkle would strikeout two while Slate struck out one.
 
Brian Brown led things for the Storm at the plate as he went 2-3, homering once, and then collected two RBI's. Tyler Broyles went 2-4 and scored a run while Jarrett Phillips would go 1-2 and register an RBI.
 
In game two, Southern Nazarene responded well as they held a 2-0 lead going into the 5^th inning. However, East Central would grab ahold of the reins and score seven runs by the 7^th inning, leaving the score at 7-2. SNU would mount a bit of a comeback in the bottom on the 9^th, but the lead was too much by then as ECU walked away with the 9-4 win.
 
Triston Graces would pitch the majority of the game as he saw action in 5.0 innings, striking out four batters. Graves would be credited with the loss, giving him a season record of 1-3. Elijah Brady would be come in to relieve as he pitched 1.2 innings and struck out two batters. Finally, Landon Walker would close for the Storm as he would collect one strikeout of his own.
 
Carlos Michel and Brian Brown both were impressive as they both went 2-3, scored a run, and collected an RBI. Another notable was Ryan Lowery who went 1-1 and registered two RBI's.
 
Southern Nazarene will have a quick turnaround as they will make the short trip over to Mid-America Christian on Tuesday to play ball. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.