By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
Following a pair of splits, the Southeast of Saline softball team returned to ransacking the rest of their league, collecting two mercy-rule-shortened wins over Minneapolis on Tuesday.
With victories of 14-0 and 12-1, the Lady Trojans move to 12-2 overall and slide into first alongside Beloit at 7-1 in league play.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis drops to 7-5 on the year and 5-5 in the NCAA, with the Lady Lions now tied for third with Ellsworth.
In addition to upping their run differential to a ridiculous +170 on the year, Southeast has now won 11 of their 14 games by run rule, including six via shutout, and the Lady Trojans can secure at least a share of the league title if they win their final two NCAA games with Ellsworth next week.
SES chipped away at the Lions with a slow, methodical attack in game one, striking for a run in the first, two in the second, another in the third, and five in the fourth and fifth to take the opener 14-0.
The Minneapolis bats didn’t stand a chance against Bryna Baird, who cooked up five innings of one-hit ball, surrendering just two walks and recording 12 of her 15 outs with a K.
Once again it was a group effort in the Lady Trojan lineup, as eight of the nine members recorded at least one hit, and seven drove in at least one run, led by Carly Commerford and Lexi Jacobson, who combined to go 6/7 with 5 RBI.
Game two saw more of the same, although this time it was three big punches that delivered SES the 12-1 victory with a five-run second, a four-run fourth, and a three-run sixth.
In the circle, the baton was passed to Lexi Jacobson who picked up right where Baird left off, recording ten strikeouts in six innings, and allowing just four hits and four walks.
Carly Commerford and Savannah Sutton would each record multi-hit games in the nightcap, and Jacobson aided her own cause driving in three runs in the win.
The Lady Trojans will take the rest of the week off to rest up for what will be a huge doubleheader next Tuesday when at long last, SES will return home to host the Ellsworth Bearcats.