Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 LAKELAND, Fla. – The Fire had both sides all phases going Saturday afternoon. Southeastern University used a big inning in both games along with solid pitching for a twinbill sweep of Cleary University, 7-1 and 14-1 in softball action today.
Leading 2-1 in the home fourth of game one, Raylei McKinney belted a two-run home run, putting an exclamation point of a five-run inning. Maria Zelenka held the Cougars scoreless in the final three innings and completed the win in relief.
After McKinney and Leah Gonzalez connected for back-to-back homers in the home first, SEU recorded its biggest outburst of the spring in the bottom of the second. Ella Brooks and Zelenka both laced two-run singles before Brooks stepped to the plate for the second at bat of the inning for a two-run inside the park home run and drove in Chapel Cunningham, who tripled, for the final runs of a 10-run inning. Edan Playa took it from there, shutting out Cleary for the final three innings.
The Fire's twinbill sweep was its fifth such of the season and they improved to 10-1 overall. SEU outscored Cleary (0-4) by a 21-2 margin and it has now given up only four runs in the last six combined contests.
SEU pounded out 24 hits with six extra-base hits over the day's ten at-bats. Cunningham led the six multi-hit players as the lead-off batter went 5-for-6 with four runs, a double, a triple, two RBI and three stolen bases.
It was McKinney with the power bat again as she was 3-for-5 with two runs, two home runs, both 2-run varieties, and four RBI. Brooks was right behind at 4-for-6 with four runs, a 2-run homer, five RBI and a stolen base. Gonzalez added the final extra-base hit with a solo homer.
Laura Sekinger and Zelenka both singled three times – Sekinger scored twice and Zelenka drove in two. Kassidy Moore chipped in two singles with an RBI. Danielle Wasserstrom and Breanna Stowers added a single.
Danielle Wasserstrom struck out three Cougars over the first two frames of Game 1 before Zelenka took care of the final five with four strikeouts of her own. Playa logged the five-inning complete game for the late contest where she allowed five hits and fanned four. The three Fire pitchers gave up only eight hits and one earned run in 12 innings of work.
SEU will have Sunday off before they host Grand View University on Monday afternoon in a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m.
