HATTIESBURG, Miss. – No. 19 Southeastern split Friday's doubleheader with Faulkner, earning a 2–0 victory in the opener before falling 4–0 in the nightcap.
The split moved the Fire to 8-2 on the season, while Faulkner finished the day at 4-2.
Game 1 – SEU 2, Faulkner 0
Southeastern provided all the offense it would need in the bottom of the first inning of Game 1.
Ella Brooks led off with a single, and
Hailey Bradley was hit by a pitch to put two aboard.
Lauren Sekinger then drew a walk to load the bases with no outs.
After a strikeout, Brooks came home on a wild pitch to give the Fire a 1-0 lead.
Maria Zelenka followed with a walk to reload the bases, and
Abby Franey lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Bradley and extend the advantage to 2-0.
That early cushion was more than enough for Zelenka in the circle.
The junior right-hander was efficient throughout, scattering three hits over seven innings while striking out nine and walking two. She worked around traffic in the third and sixth innings, stranding multiple runners each time to preserve the shutout. Zelenka improved to 4-1 with the complete-game effort.
Faulkner threatened in the third after singles from Anna Catherine Segrest and Addyson Jarman put runners in scoring position, but Zelenka induced a groundout to end the inning. In the sixth, Jarman again reached and advanced to third, yet Southeastern's defense held firm to keep the Eagles off the board.
Brooks paced the Fire offensively, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Sekinger added a single and a walk, while
Raylei McKinney also recorded a hit. Southeastern finished with five hits and drew three walks, while playing error-free defense behind Zelenka.
Game 2 – Faulkner 4, SEU 0
The Fire were unable to carry that momentum into the second game, as Faulkner used timely hitting and a strong pitching performance to secure the split.
Southeastern threatened early in the first inning when Brooks singled and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt from Bradley. However, Faulkner starter Abrianna Davis worked out of the jam to keep the game scoreless.
The Eagles broke through in the third. After a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt advanced runners into scoring position, Jarman delivered an RBI single up the middle to give Faulkner a 1-0 lead.
Faulkner added three more in the fourth inning. Kelbi Johnson tripled to right field to drive in a run, and Abbie Davis followed with a sacrifice to bring home another. An unearned run later in the frame pushed the margin to 4-0.
Southeastern recorded four hits in the nightcap, with Brooks and Sekinger each collecting singles.
Abby Franey and
Breanna Stowers also added base hits, but the Fire were unable to string together a scoring rally. Their best opportunity came in the second inning when Franey and Stowers both reached, yet Faulkner escaped without allowing a run.
Emma Vickers took the loss, allowing four runs—three earned—over 3.2 innings.
Edan Playa provided steady relief, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings and striking out three to keep the deficit manageable.
Davis went the distance for Faulkner, limiting the Fire to four hits and striking out three to secure the shutout.
Southeastern returns to action Saturday, February 21, with a 1 p.m. EST doubleheader against William Carey in Hattiesburg, as the Fire continue their road swing.
