DURANT, Okla. – SWOSU pitchers issued 17 free passes and fell 11-7 to Southeastern in a midweek non-conference matchup against the Savage Storm.
Between 14 walks and three hit by pitches, the Bulldogs simply provided the Savage Storm too many base runners to manage and overcome.
The Bulldog offense came out swinging in the top of the first, prior to the walks becoming a problem, collecting seven of its nine hits in the first three innings and building early leads of 3-0 after the first and 5-3 after the second.
Southeastern scored in each of the first five innings, taking the lead for good with a three-run fourth. The Storm added two insurance runs in the seventh to offset SWOSU's solo tallies in the seventh and eighth.
SWOSU struck first behind a leadoff double from
John Spoto and another two-bagger from
Kotaro Wakui in the opening frame. However, the momentum quickly shifted as the Bulldogs issued five consecutive free passes to begin the bottom of the first inning. Southeastern's first four runs across the opening two innings all scored without the benefit of a hit.
The first four SWOSU pitchers combined to walk 11 batters over the first four innings, along with two hit batters.
Brodie Andrews provided stability in long relief, tossing the final four innings. He struck out five, walked three, and allowed six hits.
At the plate,
Rusty Wortman led the way, finishing 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. Spoto and Wakui each added two hits.
The loss drops SWOSU to 8-5 on the season. The Bulldogs return home this weekend for their conference home opener against Harding. First pitch is set for Friday (Feb. 20) at 2:00 p.m., with Saturday's doubleheader beginning at noon.
