LAKELAND, Fla.—Southeastern picked up their fourth-straight Opening Day doubleheader sweep with 4-2 and 4-3 wins over No. 21 Reinhardt this afternoon.
The Fire led the first game 4-0 until a two-out, two-run single in the seventh inning. In the second game, a 2-1 lead heading into the seventh inning turned into a 3-2 deficit before a two-run single by
Riley Sanders to win it.
"She's worked so hard to get to this point," said coach
Kayla Watkins of Sanders who appeared in just 16 games last season. "Honestly, I think she's better than she was before the injury. Her mindset is really good, she was grinding all day in the box and nothing fell her way so to come up at the end there was huge."
Two runners got on prior to Sanders coming to the plate on a pair of defensive miscues by the Eagles (2-2). Sanders was able to direct a ball right at the diving third baseman and it ricocheted off her glove and into the outfield allowing Haley Brooks and
Chloe Baker to score to end the game.
Reinhardt got on the board first in the second contest on a sacrifice fly in the third to take advantage of a fielding error. Two-out hitting was the key in the second game for Southeastern, going 6-for-13 including in the fourth when
Chapel Cunningham brought home
Ella Brooks from second base, then scored on an RBI single by Haley Brooks to put the Fire on top.
"I think our speed opens some things up and we don't have to press in the box," said Watkins. "I think that helps them settle in since we have a lot of options and to see what they want and hit them."
The Eagles tied the game in the top of the seventh on three straight singles to lead off the inning, then took the lead on a fielders choice with the bases loaded and one out.
Ella Brooks led the offense in the second game with a 2-for-2 showing.
Freshman
Edan Playa earned her first win, working a clean inning in relief of
Claire Sekinger who struck out five over six innings.
Both teams had some missed opportunities in the first game with Reinhardt leaving a one-out triple stranded at third in the first and the Fire leaving runners at second and third in the first. Some small ball led to the first run for the Fire on a bunt by Haley Brooks to score
Ella Brooks, then an RBI single by
Lauren Sekinger to take a 2-0 lead to the fourth.
A dropped fly ball in the fourth gave the Fire a 3-0 lead and an RBI single to left by
Ella Brooks in the sixth put the Fire up four.
Ella Brooks was 3-for-3 in the first game. Cunningham and
Danielle Wasserstrom added two hits each.
Autumn Hunter threw 137 pitches in a complete game effort with two strikeouts and no walks.
The Fire will return to action on Friday against Freed-Hardeman University.
