TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The Crimson Storm headed to the North corner to take on instate opponent Northeastern State. The Riverhawks offense was a tough one to contain as they claimed the series sweep over Southern Nazarene.

Game 1

Will DesHotels got the ball first for the Storm (3-4, 0-0 GAC) going three up and three down to begin his outing. SNU got on the board first thanks to a Weston Hick three-run bomb. The scoring did not stop there, Jacob Martinez blasted a double to plate two more to give Southern Nazarene a 5-0 lead after the first inning of play. 

The Storm kept the momentum going with a single from Dax Edmonds to tack on another run in the second to stretch the SNU lead to six. The Riverhawks (4-4, 0-0 MIAA) woke up their bats plating three to cut the Storm lead in half in the third. 

Levi Graham took over for DesHotels in the fourth but the Riverhawks continued to chip away. NSU would go on to plate four to go ahead 8-6 before Parker Presley took over on the mound for the Crimson Storm. Presley delivered the final out via strikeout to turn over the inning.

Northeastern kept the SNU offense hushed in the fifth before they would go on to extend their lead 9-6. A homer from Max Dias got the Storm some momentum back, but not enough. The Riverhawks would continue their offensive rampage with an eight-run sixth inning to bury the Storm 17-7 heading to the seventh inning. 

A Blake Brinkmeyer single would bring Martinez across to tack on one final run for the Storm in the top of the inning. NSU pushed one more across as well to finish off Southern Nazarene by a final score of 18-8.

Game 2

Martinez would start on the bump for SNU in game two of the series. Northeastern kept their bats going, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first. A sac fly from Dias would plate on to get the Storm on the board. An error on NSU would bring across two more Storm members to cut the Northeastern lead 4-3 in the second.

The Northeastern pitching would continue to dominate the Storm from the third inning leaving SNU scoreless for the remainder of the contest. The Riverhawks continued to swing the bat to get to Landon Kinder on the mound in the sixth inning. NSU was unphased by the pitching change tacking on two more runs to lead 9-3. SNU would look to the bullpen once again, this time it was Oliver Wilson who came in for relief. 
NSU kept the scoring going, adding three more runs to get another pitching change in the inning. Logan Isbell would then take over for the Storm giving up two runs and getting SNU out of the inning.

Both squads would go scoreless in the seventh to leave Northeastern with the hefty 17-3 victory and the series-clinching win over the Crimson Storm.

Game 3

The Storm looked to start fresh in the final game of the series with the Riverhawks. Patrick Hine got the ball to start game three for SNU. Northeastern kept their bats hot, scoring three in the first. Both squads went scoreless for the next two innings of play. 

A home run from the Riverhawks would tack on another run to extend their lead. Gunner Phillips would then take over on the mound for the Storm. NSU would go on to plate one more in the bottom of the fourth to lead 5-0. 

Tanner Bare got the Storm offense going with an RBI double to plate Dax Edmonds and cut the lead to 5-1. Carson Kinnaird made a pinch-hitting appearance, singling to score Brinkmeyer to trail 5-2 going into the bottom of the sixth.

The Riverhawks kept the Southern Nazarene offense quiet in the seventh and eighth innings. NSU tacked on one more run to get to a pitching change that would bring in Zack Robinson. He would hold Northeastern there, not allowing another run. The Storm was unable to get a rally going and ultimately fell to Northeastern 6-2.

Next Up

The Storm will return home to open GAC play against the Harding Bisons. The two will square off for a single game Friday, February 16th at 1:00 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday, February 17th at noon at Feland Field.