BETHANY, Okla. - The Crimson Storm got off to a hot start Tuesday afternoon taking game one of the non-conference doubleheader with Cameron before falling late to the Aggies in game two.
 

Game 1 

The Crimson Storm (19-19, 10-8 GAC) set the tone early behind starting pitcher Ashley Larson, who delivered a career-high seven strikeouts in a complete-game effort. The right-hander worked through traffic at times but consistently came up with big pitches, limiting the Aggies (19-20, 11-15 LSC)  to just two runs on eight hits across seven innings.

After a scoreless opening frame, SNU struck first in the second inning. Eden Anderson sparked the rally with a double to right-center, and Adyson Gaddis followed with an RBI single up the middle to give the Storm a 1-0 lead.

Cameron answered in the third to tie the game, but SNU quickly responded in the bottom half. The Storm capitalized on an Aggie miscue, scoring two unearned runs to regain control at 3-1.

Southern Nazarene added to its lead in the fourth as Kristen Mullendore delivered a clutch two-run double to left field, pushing the advantage to 5-1.

The Storm continued to apply pressure in the fifth. After working into scoring position, Presley Brott came through with an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-1.

From there, Larson took over. The junior stranded multiple Cameron runners over the final innings and allowed just one late run in the seventh, sealing the 6-2 win and her third victory of the season.

At the plate, SNU tallied nine hits, with Mullendore leading the way with two hits and two RBIs. Brott and Gaddis also drove in runs, while Anderson added a double as part of the balanced offensive effort.
 

Game 2 

The Crimson Storm came out swinging, plating a run in the first inning as Anderson delivered once again with an RBI single to give SNU an early 1-0 edge.

Southern Nazarene broke the game open in the third inning with one of its most explosive frames of the season. After stringing together hits and aggressive baserunning, the Storm capped the rally with a towering grand slam from Mullendore to left-center, pushing the lead to 7-0.

Cameron, however, responded in a big way in the fourth. Taking advantage of defensive miscues, the Aggies erupted for seven runs, to tie the game at 7-7 and completely shift the momentum.

After a scoreless bottom half for SNU, the game settled briefly before Cameron struck again in the sixth. The Aggies capitalized on another Storm error and timely hitting to plate two runs and take their first lead of the game at 9-7.

SNU threatened late, putting runners on in the fifth, but was unable to capitalize. The Storm were held scoreless over the final four innings as Cameron's pitching staff closed the door to claim the 9-7 victory over Southern Nazarene.
 

Next Up

The Crimson Storm will travel to Ada to take on East Central for a three game conference series. The two are slated to play a single game on Thursday, April 2 at 5 pm and a doubleheader on Friday, April 3 at 1 pm.