LAKELAND, Fla. — No. 19 Southeastern swept No. 6 Grand View in a Monday doubleheader at the SEU Softball Field, earning a 4-0 victory in Game 1 before securing a 2-1 win in Game 2 to improve to 14-2 on the season.
Game 1: Southeastern 4, Grand View 0
Maria Zelenka set the tone in the opener with a dominant performance in the circle and at the plate. The right-hander tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out seven and issuing no walks over seven innings.
Southeastern opened the scoring in the first without recording a hit.
Ella Brooks drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and later stole home as part of a double steal to give the Fire a 1-0 lead. The aggressive baserunning continued throughout the afternoon and proved critical in a tightly contested matchup between nationally ranked programs.
The Fire added to their lead in the second.
Erica Ramsey doubled to left-center to start the inning and eventually scored on a passed ball, pushing the advantage to 2-0.
Grand View's best opportunity came in the fourth. A leadoff double and a wild pitch moved a runner to third with one out, but Zelenka responded with a groundout and then benefited from a heads-up defensive play on a bunt that resulted in a pop-up double play, ending the threat.
Zelenka provided insurance herself in the sixth. After
Lauren Sekinger reached and
Raylei McKinney moved into scoring position with a stolen base, Zelenka drove a two-run home run to left field. The blast extended the lead to 4-0 and marked the first home run of her career.
SEU managed four hits in the opener, with Ramsey's double and Zelenka's homer accounting for the extra-base production. The Fire capitalized on limited opportunities and backed their ace with clean defense to close out the shutout.
Game 2: Southeastern 2, Grand View 1
Game 2 featured another complete-game effort, this time from left-hander
Edan Playa. Playa improved to 6-0 on the year, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six and walking none across seven innings.
The Fire struck first again in the opening frame. Brooks doubled to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by
Abby Franey. Sekinger followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Brooks for a 1-0 advantage.
Grand View answered in the second with an RBI single to even the score at 1-1, but Playa settled in from there, working efficiently and limiting traffic on the bases.
SEU regained the lead in the fourth.
Hailey Bradley opened the inning with a triple down the right-field line, and Brooks drove her in with a single. Brooks later stole second, continuing her disruptive presence on the basepaths.
The Fire totaled six hits in the nightcap, with Brooks and McKinney recording two apiece. Bradley's triple was Southeastern's lone three-base hit of the game, and the offense again relied on situational execution rather than volume.
Grand View mounted a final threat in the seventh, placing the tying run in scoring position after a single and a sacrifice bunt. Playa induced a pop-up to first base to end the game and secure the sweep.
Across the two games, Southeastern allowed just one run while combining for back-to-back complete games in the circle. The Fire's pitching, opportunistic offense, and disciplined defense proved decisive against a top-10 opponent.
Southeastern returns to action on Tuesday, March 3, hosting Calumet College of St. Joseph in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. at the SEU Softball Field.
