By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
After splitting their season opener with Hesston, the Southeast of Saline softball team returned to Gypsum to kick off league play and did so in style, bashing the Buffaloes 15-0 in the opener and 14-1 in the nightcap.
Game One: SE of Saline 15, Republic County 0
The Lady Trojans began this game with a 4-0 lead in the first and never looked back, adding ten runs in the second inning and one more to seal the deal in the third.
As it has been with so many previous SES teams, this was a true team effort, as nine different members of the order recorded a hit, seven drove in at least one run, and ten came across the plate to score a run.
With just six walks on the day and only one strikeout, Southeast stayed aggressive, recording 14 RBI in the run-rule shortened game.
In the circle, Karlee Zurfluh was perfection, striking out five of the nine batters she faced while allowing no hits, issuing no walks, and watching zero runs cross the plate.
Game Two: SE of Saline 14, Republic County 1
The nightcap of this two-game set saw Southeast pick up right where they left off, rattling off three runs in the first, eight in the second, and three in the fourth of a five-inning affair.
This time around, it was Carlee Dye and Madelyn McFadden who baffled the Buffs in the circle, recording more strikeouts than hits allowed on the day.
At the plate, the Lady Trojan bats stayed hot, but none were hotter than those of Kyiah Samuelson and Abby Wyatt, who each went a perfect 4-4 at the plate with four RBI apiece and six total runs scored.
Those performances would cap off another game where SES got hits from seven members of its lineup and an RBI or more from four different Lady Trojans.
With these wins, SES moves to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in league play, while Republic County falls to 2-6 and 0-2, respectively.
Southeast will be back in action on Friday when they return to Gypsum to host the Abilene Cowgirls.