GULF SHORES, Ala. — No. 10 Southeastern picked up a pair of victories on Saturday at the Gulf Shores Invitational, opening the day with an 8–0 run-rule win over St. Ambrose (Iowa) before closing the afternoon with a 1–0 victory over No. 9 Our Lady of the Lake. The Fire improved to 20–2 on the season with the two wins.
Game 1: Southeastern 8, St. Ambrose 0 (5 innings)
Southeastern started the day with a dominant performance against St. Ambrose, scoring in three different innings while holding the Fighting Bees to just two hits across five innings. The Fire finished with 11 hits in the run-rule victory.
The Fire wasted little time getting on the board.
Ella Brooks and
Hailey Bradley reached to start the bottom of the first before
Raylei McKinney launched a three-run home run to give Southeastern an early 3–0 lead.
Southeastern extended the advantage in the fourth inning with a four-run surge. Brooks singled and later scored on an RBI groundout from
Lauren Sekinger before
Abby Franey delivered the biggest hit of the inning with a two-run double.
Nicole Wasserstrom followed with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 7–0.
The Fire ended the game in the fifth when Brooks singled and later scored on a fielder's choice from Sekinger to secure the 8–0 run-rule victory.
Brooks led the offense with three hits and three runs scored, while Franey added three hits and two RBIs. McKinney finished with two hits and three RBIs, highlighted by the first-inning home run.
In the circle,
Edan Playa earned the win with four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out three.
Emma Vickers pitched the final inning to complete the combined shutout.
Game 2: Southeastern 1, Our Lady of the Lake 0
In the afternoon matchup between top-10 teams, Southeastern edged No. 9 Our Lady of the Lake 1–0 behind a dominant outing from
Maria Zelenka.
The game's lone run came in the fourth inning.
Erica Ramsey worked a walk and
Abby Franey followed with a single to put runners aboard before
Katie Short entered as a pinch runner. Zelenka then delivered the decisive hit, lining an RBI single down the right-field line to score Short and give the Fire a 1–0 lead.
Southeastern threatened for additional runs later in the game, putting runners in scoring position in both the fifth and seventh innings, but the Saints' pitching kept the margin at one.
Zelenka made the lone run stand, tossing a complete-game shutout while allowing just three hits and striking out four without issuing a walk. She retired the final six batters of the game to secure the victory.
Hailey Bradley led the Fire offensively with two hits, while Franey,
Raylei McKinney,
Jaidyn Fuller,
Ella Brooks, and Zelenka each added a hit in the win.
Southeastern will close play at the Gulf Coast Invitational on Sunday, March 8, facing #16 LSU Alexandria at 10 a.m. EST in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
