By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
At the midway mark of their 2023 campaign, the Southeast of Saline softball team has looked unbeatable, rolling to yet another doubleheader sweep in Chapman on Friday.
With wins of 2-0 and 10-0, the Lady Trojans remain a perfect 10-0 on the year, and 6-0 in league play, continuing to extend an absurd run differential of +132.
Of those ten wins, eight have been won by mercy rule, and five have been won in shutouts, with Southeast’s electric hitting matched only by its stifling pitching.
Both of those elements were on full display in game two of Friday’s set, but in game one, it was the pitching that shined the brightest in another elite performance for Bryna Baird.
The junior took to the circle and wasted no time mowing down hitters, recording eight strikeouts in a complete-game shutout that saw just two walks and five hits allowed through seven innings.
Despite a bit of a slow day on the scoreboard, the Lady Trojans came through when it mattered most, plating a lone run in the third and another in the fifth to secure the 2-0 victory.
Maddie Harris recorded the only official RBI of the opener, helping SES to take a healthy dose of momentum into game two, where the Lady Trojans surpassed their run total in just the first inning, opening an early 3-0 lead.
From there, Southeast would strike for one more in the third and six in the fifth to put an early end to yet another game on the road by a 10-0 final.
Not to be outdone by her junior counterpart, Lexi Jacobson tossed a gem of her own in game two, fanning nine hitters and allowing just three hits in another complete-game shutout, this time without allowing a single walk.
Offensively, SES exploded for 16 hits, spread among eight members of their lineup, with six different Lady Trojans recording a multi-hit game.
Southeast will be back in action on Thursday in what could very well be their biggest series of the regular season when they travel to Beloit for a battle of unbeaten NCAA teams.
For continuing coverage of SES softball all season long, stay tuned to the Salina Post.