MONTICELLO, Ark.—Southern Nazarene earned a Friday split with Arkansas-Monticello, taking game one 4-2 before falling 6-4 in game two. The split, along with other results in the GAC, officially clinched a spot for the Crimson Storm in the GAC Championships in May.
Game 1:
Southern Nazarene fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, but never wavered. They settled in and did not allow another run for the remainder of the game. On the offensive side, the Storm plated one in the fourth and three in the fifth to grab the game one win.
Despite not getting a hit in the first inning, Monticello grabbed the lead after a walk, a hit by pitch, and an error led to two runs in the inning. Monticello only managed two hits in the game off of Jennifer-Romero Ivarson, who earned her 14th win. She is 7-0 in her last 7 appearances.
Southern Nazarene took advantage of errors on the other side in the fourth inning. The Blossoms committed three errors in the inning, as well as gifted SNU bases with a passed ball and wild pitch. Still, the Storm mustered just one run and trailed 2-1 heading into the final three innings.
The hits finally started coming for SNU in the fifth inning. They come through with 5 hits in the inning, including a two-run shot from Natalie Jones that put SNU in front for good. Jones finished 2-for-3 in the game.
SNU tacked on one more run in the inning after Anna Icenhower's RBI fielder's choice scored Emma Swearingen. Swearingen was a difficult out all game, finishing 3-for-4, including a double.
Game 2:
The Storm gave up runs once again in the first inning, and again come back to tie the game, but this time they could not complete the comeback as Monticello's two-run fourth inning proved to be the deciding inning of the game.
The Blossoms plated three runs in the first despite collecting just one hit in the inning. They took advantage of an inning opening error by scoring two on a fielder's choice and another run from an RBI groundout.
The Crimson Storm quickly gained two runs back, though, with a two-run home run off the bat of Hailie Fellers, her fifth big fly of the season. Their deficit would be doubled in the bottom half of the inning, though, as Monticello once again took advantage of a Crimson Storm error.
Southern Nazarene tied the game in the fourth inning after lacing four hits. Hailey Evans singled home Syndey Everhart to tie the game, but the Storm left the go-ahead run out on third base.
Monticello regained the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning after three straight reached base with one out. The Blossoms then scored on a sacrifice fly followed by an RBI single that pushed the score to its final resting place at 6-4.
SNU put two runners in scoring position with a chance to tie the game in the sixth inning, but a flyout ended the threat. Hailie Fellers would draw a one-out walk in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate, but a flyout and a groundout ended the game.
With the split, Southern Nazarene drops back into a tie with Harding for 3rd place in the GAC, but SNU does hold the tie-breaker over the Bisons after winning the series two games to one. As a result of other games within the GAC, SNU has also officially clinched a spot in the GAC Championships in Bentonville, Arkansas. SNU has made the GAC tournament every year of eligibility since 2015. The Storm will look to improve their seeding within the tournament, but first will turn their attention to non-conference opponent Newman. The two teams split in Wichita earlier this week and will now meet in Bethany on Tuesday. First pitch of Tuesday's double-header is set for 1:00 p.m.
