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Box Score 2 ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita Baptist softball team split games one and two of the weekend series against Southeastern Oklahoma State 1-3 and 7-6 on Friday afternoon at Sully Anderson Field.
In game, one of the afternoon Ouachita held onto a 1-0 lead until the top of the sixth inning. Sydnee Hinkle then hit a three-run homerun to give Southeastern the lead in the top half of the sixth inning.
In game two of the series Samantha Ortiz played hero has she belted an RBI single up the middle to win the game for the Tigers in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Game One: Ouachita 1, Southeastern Oklahoma State 3
The Tigers got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning.
Kelly Powell leadoff the game with a walk, Sloane Precure then singled through the left side to put runners on first and second. With two-outs in the inning, Ortiz stepped to the plate and came through with her first clutch hit of the afternoon with an RBI single up the middle.
Ouachita starting pitcher
Kelsey O'Brien was rolling through the Savage Storm lineup. O'Brien exited the game after 5.1 innings of shutout softball.
Southeastern got to Ouachita pitcher
Marissa Butler in the top of the sixth inning. Butler started the inning a little shaky as she walked and hit the first two batters she faced.
The third batter of the inning made her pay for her previous mistakes. Hinkle blasted a homerun over the centerfield fence to give the Savage Storm a 3-1 advantage in the game.
The Tigers rally came up short in the bottom of the seventh inning as Southeastern took game one of the series.
Game Two: Ouachita 7, Southeastern Oklahoma State 6
The second game of the afternoon was a slugfest between the two squads. As the two teams combined for 13 runs off 22 hits in the game.
The first two innings of the contest were similar to that of the first game as each team held the other scoreless. Southeastern freshman first basemen Elexis Watson changed the score with one mighty swing of the bat. Watson hit her 10
th homerun of the season to give the Savage Storm the early lead.
The Tigers offense responded though in the bottom half of the third inning. Powell leadoff the inning with an infield single. With two-outs in the inning, Tobi Finley singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. Senior outfielder
Paige Purifoy made the Savage Storm pay with a 2-RBI triple to right field.
Gabby Gonzalez put the exclamation point on the inning with a two-run bomb to straight away centerfield.
Down 4-1 the Savage Storm began to chip away at the Tigers lead. In the top of the fourth inning, Mykaela Wallace hit a solo homerun to keep Southeastern within a pair of runs of Ouachita.
The Savage Storm closed the gap to within one after an RBI double by Marisa Fleck in the top of the sixth inning.
Southeastern tied the game up in the top of the seventh inning with an RBI single down the right field line. The game did not remain tied for long as the Savage Storm hit their third homerun of the afternoon. This time it was a two-run blast that gave Southeastern a 6-4 lead.
Ouachita began a rally in the bottom of the seventh. Precure hit a one-out double to center field to give the Tigers a runner in scoring position.
Sarah Johnson then singled
down the left field line to put a pair of runners on.
The play of the game happened next as Tobi Finley hit what appeared to be a routine ground ball to the shortstop. The shortstop missed the grounder and the ball rolled all the way to the left field wall, allowing both runners to score. Finley stood just 60 feet away in a 6-6 ballgame.
Southeastern walked both Purifoy and Gonzalez to load up the bases in the bottom of the seventh. Ortiz made sure that the Savage Storm regretted their decision to pitch to her. Ortiz hit a scorching ball back up the middle to give the Tigers the walk-off victory over the Savage Storm.
The Tigers and the Savage Storm will play the conclusion of their game tomorrow afternoon. The first game begins at 1 p.m. at Sully Anderson Field.