MONTICELLO, Ark. - The Crimson Storm hit the road to take on Arkansas-Monticello Thursday afternoon. Southern Nazarene came up short in both contests as the Blossoms claimed the doubleheader sweep and the series.
Game 1Â
The Crimson Storm (27-27, 17-15 GAC) jumped out early but couldn't hold off a strong middle-inning push from Arkansas-Monticello (16-32, 9-23 GAC), falling 8-5 in the opening game of the doubleheader.
Southern Nazarene wasted no time setting the tone in the first inning as Quinlyn Johnson reached and swiped a bag before Adyson Gaddis brought her home with an RBI single to give SNU a 1-0 lead. The Blossoms answered in the bottom half to even the score, and after a scoreless second inning, began to take control in the third. UAM used a combination of walks and timely hitting to plate two runs, then followed with a three-run fourth inning to stretch the lead to 6-1.
Despite the deficit, SNU found life in the fifth with one of its strongest offensive frames of the game. Abby Wood and Ciena Perez each recorded singles before Kristen Mullendore drew a walk to load the bases. Eden Anderson delivered a two-run single up the middle, and a Blossom error allowed another run to cross, trimming the deficit to 6-4.
That momentum was short-lived as Arkansas-Monticello responded in the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back RBI hits to push the lead to 8-4. Southern Nazarene added one more in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Bailey Nettles, but couldn't complete the comeback down the stretch falling 8-5.
Johnson led the Storm at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored, while Anderson drove in a pair and Gaddis added an RBI in the opening inning.
Game 2
The Crimson Storm found themselves in a tight battle in the second game of the doubleheader coming up just short, falling 2-1 to Arkansas-Monticello.
SNU threatened early, putting a runner in scoring position in the first inning, but couldn't capitalize. The Blossoms took advantage of their opportunity in the second, using two singles and a pair of walks to push across two runs and take a 2-0 lead.
From there, it turned into a pitcher's duel. Olivia Hernandez settled in for the Storm, working through traffic and limiting the damage while keeping the Storm within striking distance. She tossed a complete game, allowing just four hits and two runs while striking out four.
The Crimson Storm had chances throughout, collecting seven hits on the night, but struggled to deliver the timely hit. That changed in the seventh when Kelsi Hilton and Presley Brott opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Macy Stewart followed with an RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit to 2-1 and put the tying run in scoring position.
SNU continued to apply pressure with a sacrifice bunt to move runners into scoring position, but Arkansas-Monticello's defense held firm, recording the final two outs to seal the narrow victory, 2-1.
Next Up
The Crimson Storm will take on the Blossoms in the series finale on Friday, May 1 at noon.
