Hitting Clinic Propels Softball to Seventh Straight Win

LAKELAND, Fla.— The Southeastern softball team put on a show in front of their home crowd on Tuesday, scoring a combined 23 runs on 29 hits in two contests against NCAA Division II opponent Chestnut Hill, to notch their six and seventh consecutive victories. The Fire outscored the Griffins 8-2 in the first matchup, while coming alive for 15 runs in a shutout effort in game two.
In game one, SEU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third thanks to one of Haliegh Harrell’s three RBI doubles on the day, and two mistakes by Chestnut Hill.
The Fire would go on to score in four straight innings to pull away from CHC.
After Southeastern added a run on a wild pitch in the fourth and the Griffins got a run back in the fifth, the Fire answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning due to efficient baserunning. Back-to-back bunt singles allowed Harrell and Sam Holcomb to reach. Both players came around to score, giving Southeastern a 6-1 advantage through five innings.
Harrell and Holcomb delivered once again in the sixth to supply insurance runs in the forms of RBI hits as Hannah Bodenhorn secured an 8-2 win in the circle. Bodenhorn moved to 9-2 on the year with the victory.
Faulk, Harrell, and Holcomb continued massive showings in game two, while senior Brandee Pietrzak also notched a perfect fixture at the plate.
The first four batters in the lineup went a combined 13-for-15 with nine runs scored and seven RBIs in the second contest. Faulk and Harrell both batted a perfect 4-for-4, each with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs.
SEU collected five hits before a single out was recorded. Following doubles by Harrell and Holcomb that drove in Faulk and Harrell, respectively, Kiah Ferrell launched her third longball of the season over the left field fence to make it 6-0 Southeastern.
A squeeze bunt by Faulk in her second plate appearance of the inning drove in Lauren Watters, which capped off a seven-run first for the Fire.
The first inning provided all of the assistance Ashley Appell would need in a stellar pitching performance in the circle. The freshman picked up her fourth straight win while just allowing a single hit in four innings of work.
Two-out hitting, which has been a major part of the success Southeastern has seen over the past seven competitions, played an important role in breaking the competition open in the third inning of game two.
The Fire recorded five straight hits with two outs, plating four runs in the process and extending the advantage to 11.
Faulk and Harrell carried on their remarkable days at the plate in the fourth by producing base knocks and coming around to score on a Briana Perez double, as Southeastern hung 15 on Chestnut Hill.
Southeastern will look to stay hot as the team faces Tennessee Wesleyan in a home doubleheader om Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.