LAKELAND, Fla. — No. 4 Southeastern split Saturday's doubleheader with No. 10 Keiser, bouncing back from a Game 1 loss to earn a 3-1 victory in the nightcap at the SEU Softball Field.
Keiser claimed the opener 6-1, taking advantage of early scoring and defensive miscues by the Fire. A two-run home run from Jordan Brantley in the second inning gave the Seahawks the lead, and two unearned runs in the fourth stretched the margin to 4-0.
Southeastern was held scoreless through the first four innings before breaking through in the fifth. Back-to-back singles from
Nicole Wasserstrom and
Chloe Baker helped set the table, and the Fire's lone run came home on a Keiser throwing error to cut the deficit to 4-1.
Keiser added insurance in the seventh on an RBI single from Lanie Macicek and an RBI double by Faith Campos to secure the 6-1 win. The Fire threatened late, putting runners on second and third with two outs, but could not close the gap.
Southeastern finished with six hits in Game 1, led by multi-hit efforts from Wasserstrom and
Ella Brooks, while
Edan Playa (13-2) allowed six runs—four earned—in the loss. Keiser's Maggie Miller tossed a complete game, allowing just one unearned run.
The Fire responded in Game 2 with a more complete performance on both sides.
After Keiser struck first on an RBI single from Macy Schaaf in the second inning, Southeastern answered in the bottom half.
Lauren Sekinger led off with a single and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt before
Chloe Baker delivered an RBI single to tie the game. Baker later scored on a wild pitch, giving the Fire a 2-1 advantage.
Emma Vickers controlled the game from there, allowing just two hits over 5.1 innings while striking out five to keep the Seahawks in check. Southeastern added an insurance run in the sixth when
Raylei McKinney hit a solo home run to center field, extending the lead to 3-1.
Maria Zelenka closed out the win with 1.2 innings of relief, striking out two and limiting Keiser to just three hits in the game.
McKinney and Sekinger each recorded two hits to lead Southeastern's seven-hit effort, while
Ella Brooks added a triple.
With the split, Southeastern ends the weekend with a two-game lead in the Sun Conference standings with one weekend remaining in the regular season. The Fire hold a magic number of two to clinch the program's first conference regular season title since 2022 and will travel to face Webber International April 24-25 in Babson Park to close the regular season.
