BETHANY, Okla.—Southern Nazarene's home opener was filled with plenty of excitement as they followed a shutout win over Nebraska-Kearney in game one with a comeback walk-off homerun victory over Fort Hays State in game two.
Game 1:
Southern Nazarene used a dominant pitching performance from Olivia Hernandez to earn their first shutout victory of the season. Hernandez allowed just three hits and struck out 14 batters on her way to the complete game victory over Nebraska-Kearney.
Hernandez was helped by a quick offensive start after the Crimson Storm plated two runs in the bottom half of the first. The scoring got started when Liana Heshiki singled home Zion Archer. The Storm added one more run in the inning when Natalie Jones tripled home Hailey Evans from first base.
The scoring continued in the third inning as Southern Nazarene extended their lead to 4-0 after McKayla Franks doubled home both Kenley Thompson and Liana Heshiki.
As Hernandez continued to mow down hitters, SNU slowly increased their lead. They added one more in fourth inning on a Hannah Morales RBI double, and one run in the sixth after Macy Stewart was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Liana Heshiki, Brooklyn Sullivan, and Hannah Morales each recorded two hits in the game and five different Storm players recorded an RBI.
The win was Hernandez's second of the season. The freshman has already picked up 42 strikeouts in just 26 innings pitched in her collegiate career.
Game 2:
Hernandez was not done picking up wins on Friday, though. She earned a win in relief, thanks to Hailey Evans' heroics in the bottom half of the seventh. With SNU trailing 6-5 in the final inning, Evans took an 0-1 pitch and blasted it over the centerfield wall for a two-run walk-off homerun that gave SNU the 7-6 win over Fort Hays State.
The game was a back-and-forth affair that saw Southern Nazarene forced to play from behind after giving away a four-run lead. SNU trailed 1-0 in the fifth, but broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning. The lead did not last long, though, as Fort Hays rallied for four-run sixth inning to tie the game. The Tigers then grabbed the lead in the top of the seventh after a bases-loaded walk. Hernandez limited the damage, though, striking out the next batter and setting up the chance for Evans' walk-off homerun.
Southern Nazarene's big five-run fifth inning came on just four hits, but included one near grand-slam off the bat of Liana Heshiki. With the bases loaded, Heshiki ripped the ball deep to right field. It tipped just off the top of the ball, but fell backwards into play. Still, Heshiki was rewarded with a three-RBI double that gave Southern Nazarene a 3-1 lead. SNU then tacked on two more runs after a Fort Hays error helped extend the inning.
After SNU conceded five consecutive runs to the Tigers and found themselves trailing 6-5 in the seventh, they took no time at all to comeback and earn the walkoff win. Liana Heshiki led the inning off with a single and was quickly followed by the Hailey Evans blast to center field to walk the Crimson Storm off in their second win of the day.
Liana Heshiki finished 3-for-4 in the game, while Natalie Jones and Hannah Morales each notched 2 hits. Maddie Southerland pitched five innings, allowing three runs, two of which were earned. She also struck out three batters.
The two wins make it four in a row overall for the Crimson Storm. They will look to keep the momentum rolling tomorrow afternoon. SNU plays just one game tomorrow against Missouri Southern at 3:00 p.m. SNU will then have two games on Sunday against No. 1 Rogers State at 12:30 p.m. and Northeastern State at 3:00 p.m.
