LAKELAND, Fla. – The Fire were nothing short of consistent once they started scoring Tuesday. Southeastern University finished the opener with two late runs to put the game away and put runs up in each inning of the second game for a sweep over Calumet College, 3-2 and a run-rule 9-1 final in five innings.
Suddenly trailing 2-1 in the sixth inning of game one, the Fire did not panic. With two outs. Lauren Sekinger singled and raced home on a Kassidy Moore double to tie the game. Maria Zelenka brought Moore home on an ensuing single for a 3-2 lead. Edan Playa closed the game out with a scoreless seventh to seal the win.
The Fire put runners across home plate in each of the five innings of game two. Ella Brooks and Leah Gonzalez RBI singles in the bottom of the first were enough for the 2-0 lead and that was all SEU needed. Then, in the home fifth, Gonzalez drew a bases-loaded walk, scoring Hailey Bradley to end the game via the eight-run rule.
With the sweep, SEU won their tenth straight and improves to 14-1 on the season. Calumet College dropped to 3-9 on the year.
In the circle, Playa, who is now 7-0, covered the seven frames of the opener where she scattered eight hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts. Zelenka (7-1) picked up the win in game two, as she covered the first 3.2 innings without an earned run and only three hits. Emma Vickers took care of the final 1.1 innings in relief.
The SEU offense totaled 22 hits on the day. The top two in the batting order set the table all day. Lead off hitter Chapel Cunningham went 5-for-7 with three runs and four stolen bases. Brooks, the two-hole hitter, was 4-for-4 with three runs, a triple, one RBI and three stolen bases on the day.
Kassidy Moore posted a 3-for-6 day with a single, double, and home run with two runs and two RBI. Laura Sekinger added her own three-hit day with two singles and a double, a run, and an RBI.
Zelenka lined RBI singles in each game, while Erica Ramsey had a pinch-hit double. Hailey Bradley singled home a runner. Gonzalez had a single, but finished with three RBI on three walks and a sac fly. Nicole Wasserstrom added a hit and Raylei McKinney doubled a run in game one and lofted a sac fly in game two.
SEU will make its way west to Gulf Shores, Alabama for a five-game weekend of games. On Friday, SEU battles both Nelson University and the University of Houston-Victoria at 10 and 12:15 p.m. EST.
