LAKELAND, Fla. — No. 6 Southeastern put together a complete day on Thursday, sweeping Warner in a doubleheader at the SEU Softball Field with a 5–0 win in game one followed by a 3–1 victory in game two.
The Fire (32-4, 13-1 Sun) leaned on a blend of timely offense and dominant pitching across both contests, highlighted by a historic performance from
Raylei McKinney and two complete-game efforts in the circle.
Game 1: Southeastern 5, Warner 0
In the opener, Southeastern broke things open in the third inning. After loading the bases with a string of singles, McKinney delivered the decisive swing, launching a grand slam to center to give the Fire a 4–0 lead . The homer marked her fourth consecutive game going deep—making her the first player in program history to do so—and her second grand slam during that stretch.
From there,
Maria Zelenka took control, tossing a complete-game shutout. The right-hander allowed just five hits while striking out nine and walking one, working out of multiple jams to preserve the clean sheet . Southeastern added an insurance run in the sixth on a fielder's choice from
Lauren Sekinger to secure the 5–0 victory.
Game 2: Southeastern 3, Warner 1
Game two followed a different script, with the Fire manufacturing runs and capitalizing on situational opportunities. Southeastern struck first in the opening inning, as
Ella Brooks walked, stole second, and came around to score on an RBI groundout from McKinney.
The Fire added to the lead in the fourth when Sekinger worked a walk and
Jaidyn Fuller delivered a double to put runners in scoring position.
Ava Planeta followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 2–0 .
Warner briefly cut into the deficit in the fifth, using a hit-by-pitch and an RBI double to make it 2–1, but Southeastern answered immediately. Back-to-back singles from
Hailey Bradley and McKinney helped set the table, and Fuller drew an RBI walk with the bases loaded to push the lead back to two.
Edan Playa handled the rest, turning in a complete-game effort of her own. The left-hander allowed just two hits and one run while striking out five without issuing a walk, keeping Warner from mounting any sustained threat down the stretch .
Offensively, Southeastern totaled 13 hits across the two games, with Bradley leading the way in game two with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, while McKinney continued her standout day with production in both contests.
With the sweep, the Fire maintained their strong position in Sun Conference play and will look to complete the series against Warner on Friday at noon at the SEU Softball Field.
