WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The SWOSU Softball team stood toe-to-toe with first-place Southeastern Oklahoma State this weekend, including on Saturday as they split a doubleheader to conclude their three-game conference series.
 
SWOSU, now 9-17 on the year and 9-12 in conference play, returns to action next weekend with a three-game set at Arkansas Tech.
 
Game 1: Southeastern 5, SWOSU 3 (8 inn.)
A solo home run by Hannah Franklin in the bottom of the seventh inning provided SWOSU's first earned run of the game and tied things at 2-2, forcing extra innings in Saturday's opener. Southeastern answered with a leadoff home run in the eighth and scored three runs on three hits, which allowed them to hold off the Dawgs, who got an RBI double from Jewell Lee in the bottom half of the frame.
 
Franklin was 2-for-3 to lead SWOSU's offense, which managed just six hits in the game, including doubles by Lee and Dustie Pence and Franklin's home run. Brianna Cryer (2-4) was saddled with the loss after allowing all five earned runs in her 7.1 innings of action.
 
Game 2: SWOSU 6, Southeastern 2
After giving up two runs in the top of the second inning, SWOSU shut out the Savage Storm for the final five innings and scored six runs on nine hits to salvage a split on Saturday. The Bulldogs scored on an RBI single from Jordyn Wadley in the third, then took the lead on an RBI single from Lee as part of a three-run fourth inning. Insurance runs came on an RBI single from Dani Carmo and RBI double by Keanni Barron in the fifth as SWOSU extended the lead to 6-2.
 
While the offense certainly did it's part, the story of the game was the pitching of senior Miranda Grover, who limited the Savage Storm's high-powered offense to two runs on six hits with one strikeout and two walks. She tossed her complete-game effort on 99 pitches and improved to 5-9 on the year with the win.