DURANT, Okla. – Southern Nazarene grabbed another series sweep on the road as they took down Southeastern Oklahoma State in all three games to improve to 29 wins on the season. 

Game 1

Emma Swearingen started SNU off with a bang over the left field wall in the second inning, recording a three run homer to shoot the Crimson Storm (29-11, 18-4 GAC) to a hefty 3-0 lead over the Savage Storm (21-19, 13-10 GAC). Kristen Mullendore followed with a single through the left side in the third inning that plated Kenedi Morelock, tacking on another run for the Crimson Storm. 

Janie Worthington received the starting job inside the circle and made it a difficult day for the home team, keeping them scoreless through the first few innings with only two hits over four innings of play. 

SE chipped away at the deficit in the fifth with a solo shot over the fence, cutting SNU's lead back down to three at 4-1. Southern Nazarene battled through the final two and half innings to keep SE with that single run as Worthington defended their lead with a few strikeouts and hit-less innings. 

The Savage Storm were unable to climb back and SNU snatched the final 4-1 victory in Game 1 of the series. 

Mullendore and Morelock were both 3-4 at the plate to lead the team while Worthington snatched another complete game with 12 strikeouts and only three hits allowed. 

Game 2

The two teams worked through three scoreless innings before SNU found a spark from Mullendore who recorded another home run that also scored Graysen Stanley for the 2-0 lead. A few hits later, Swearingen flew out to right field allowing Mikayla Oaks to find home, pushing the lead to 3-0 moving into the bottom fourth. 

Starting pitcher Olivia Hernandez was putting the work on SE from the circle, keeping the Savage Storm scoreless and without a single hit through six innings. Southern Nazarene made more magic in the sixth by a Sydney Sundbye home run over to left field to put Southern Nazarene at another 4-0 advantage. 

The Savage Storm were able to escape the 0 under their name on the scoreboard in the final inning, surprising SNU with a two-run bomb to cut the Crimson Storm's lead to two with no outs under the belt. Worthington came in for relief and quickly handed SE out after out to silence their comeback as SNU snatched the Game 2 victory 4-2. 

Hernandez got the win with 11 strikeouts and only two hits allowed while Worthington ended with the save, her third this year. 

Game 3

Southern Nazarene nearly tripled their score from the previous two games in the final ballgame, exploding for 10 runs to achieve the sweep. 

Liana Heshiki was due for a bomb and launched one over the left field fence, scoring Morelock in the process to bump the Crimson Storm ahead 2-0 in the first. The Savage Storm responded with a single run in the bottom half of the inning, but that didn't matter as SNU exploded for a five-run second inning with singles from Hailey Evans and Morelock, a Heshiki double, and an Oaks fly out that shot them ahead 7-1. 

Morelock reached on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded, allowing Franks to make it home for the 8-1 lead.

Maddie Southerland was the circle starter and did not make anything easy for SE, delivering quick frames to keep SNU in good scoring standing. 

After scoreless fourth and fifth innings, Southern Nazarene came up big again in the sixth with an Allyson Haessly single and a Franks double, each good for a run that skyrocketed their lead to 10-1, achieving the run rule and the series sweep.

Up Next

The Crimson Storm will host the Oklahoma Baptist Bison again on Tuesday April 9th for a doubleheader at 3 p.m.