WEATHERFORD, OKLA.—Southern Nazarene took a series win over Southwestern Oklahoma State as they followed Friday's victory with a split on Saturday afternoon, winning game one 7-4 before falling 4-3 in game two.
Game 1:
Southern Nazarene was helped by a huge day at the plate from Natalie Jones to pick up a win in the first game of the day. Jones went a perfect 4-for-4 with 2 doubles and 4 RBIs. She pushed SNU in front 3-0 in the first inning after doubling home both McKayla Franks and Hailey Evans.
Katelyn Woodard was dominant on the mound through the first four innings as she held SWOSU scoreless, but the Bulldogs began to break through in the fifth. They tied the game at three after leading off the inning with a home run and later ripping a two-RBI single up the middle.
The Southern Nazarene offense responded well after giving up the lead. They scored two in both the sixth and seventh innings to regain their lead and push it all the way to 7-3. Natalie Jones doubled home Graysen Stanley, who pinch ran for Hailey Evans following a leadoff walk. Jones then came around to score on a Hannah Morales single to center field.
The Crimson Storm scored twice in the seventh inning when Hailey Evans tripled home Marlee Warden. Evans then scored when Natalie Jones ripped her fourth hit of the game, a single through the left side.
Southwestern was able to place the tying run on base and winning run at the plate in the seventh, but Olivia Hernandez came through with a strikeout to strand the bases loaded and gave SNU the 7-4 win. Hernandez earned the win in relief, pitching 2.1 innings and striking out 5 Bulldog batters.
Game 2:
Game two was a pitcher's duel early as the teams combined for just three hits and no runs through the first four and a half innings of the game. SWOSU's offense finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth, scoring 4 runs, which proved to be enough to take a 4-3 win.
Like Woodard in game one, Janie Worthington was dealing through the first half of the game. She allowed just four baserunners through the first four innings, three of which came via the walk. She walked the bases loaded with one out in the second inning, but responded with back-to-back strikeouts to keep Southwestern off the scoreboard.
Things unraveled a bit for Southern Nazarene in the fifth inning. A bases loaded hit by pitch would allow the Bulldogs to score the game's first run. The following batter hit a sacrifice fly that was accompanied by a throwing error, allowing SWOSU to plate two more runs. Finally, a third single of the inning pushed one more run across to give Southwestern a 4-0 lead.
Once again the SNU offense responded to a big inning from Southwestern, but this time it was not enough. They scored two in the sixth inning when Hailey Evans singled home Sydney Sundbye and Noa Dodson, but ran into some bad luck when a hard lineout to third base turned into a double play.
SNU got one more run back in the seventh on a Macy Stewart solo blast to left-center, but that was as close as they got, ultimately falling 4-3 in the series finale.
Taking two of three over Southwestern Oklahoma State moved Southern Nazarene into eighth place in the Great American Conference standings. SNU must stay inside the top-eight in order to earn a trip to Bentonville for the GAC Championship tournament. Next weekend will be tough for SNU as they meet the current No. 1 team in the conference, Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Savage Storm currently sit at 15-4 in GAC play, one game up on second place. Southeastern took two of three over the Crimson Storm last season in Durant last season. The series is set for Thursday and Friday as the Storm will have a rare Saturday off for Easter weekend. The teams will meet Thursday in Bethany at 3:00 p.m., before a Friday double-header at noon.
