Fire Athletics
COLUMBUS, Ga.– The Southeastern University softball team kicked off the NAIA World Series in dramatic fashion today after taking a 5-4 victory over Webber International thanks to a one-out, game-ending home run by Haleigh Harrell in the bottom of the seventh.
The 10th seeded Warriors got on the board first in the top of the third after two walks and a wild pitch allowed the first run of the World Series to cross.
For the second and third time in just over a week, Erica Stahl stepped up in two different big-time moments for her team. In the fourth, back-to-back singles by Jamie Mead and Katie Atkins set up a sacrifice fly scenario for Stahl. The Plant City native would then go on to give her team the lead two innings later with an RBI single up the middle that scored Chapel Cunningham. The Fire would go on to score three runs, all with two outs, in the sixth after Ashley Ellison doubled home a run and Madison Williams followed with an RBI single.
The Fire would need just one out to claim the 4-1 victory but the Warriors would manage to bring three across behind two hits, three walks, and two hit-by-pitches.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Harrell took the second pitch she saw and sent it over the left field fence, concluding the Fire’s 5-4 victory and 50th win of the season (50-11).
Autumn Hunter threw four complete innings with just one run allowed on three hits and three walks while Claire Sekinger (23-5) was granted the win after going three innings and allowing three earned runs.
Williams ended the day as the lone Fire hitter with multiple hits with Stahl collecting two RBI’s.
The Fire will next face off against the second-seeded team in the tournament and the program with the most World Series Championships in the NAIA, Oklahoma City, tomorrow at a time to be announced.