DURANT - Junior right-hander Wanda Malone tossed a four-hit shutout and Emily Kennemer hit a three-run homer as the East Central University softball team launched Lone Star Conference North play with a 7-0 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday at the SE Softball Complex.

            The Lady Tigers then completed a sweep by overcoming a 3-0 deficit to down the Savage Storm 7-5 in the second game.

            ECU improved to 14-4 on the season and 2-0 in the LSC North while SOSU fell to 10-12 and 0-2.

ECU 7, Southeastern Oklahoma 0 (Game 1)

            Malone allowed only one walk and struck out five in raising her record to 5-1 on the season.

            Kennemer's homer, her third of the season, lifted ECU to a 4-0 advantage in the third inning.

            The Lady Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Nicole Sanchez led off with a double down the left field line. Shelby Simmons followed with a bunt single to send Sanchez to third and Desiree' Nordie picked up an RBI, scoring Sanchez from third, when she grounded out to second base.

            A one-out single by Simmons and a two-out single by Kasey Barber set the stage for Kennemer's three-run blast to right-center.

            ECU picked up two unearned runs in the sixth to make it 6-0 as Hillary Hughes singled home Barber, who reached on an error to lead off the inning. Hughes later scored off an error.

            Nordie's two-out RBI double in the seventh, scoring Simmons who was hit by a pitch, closed out the scoring.

            Simmons went 2-for-3 from the plate as the Lady Tigers compiled eight hits off losing pitcher Amanda Tanner.

ECU 7, Southeastern Oklahoma 5 (Game 2)

            Barber went 3-for-4 from the dish and knocked in three runs while Simmons, Kennemer, Stefanie Watson and Laura Loughmiller had two hits each for the Lady Tigers, who pounded out 13 for the game.

            Randee Crockett (6-0) got the pitching win as she allowed eight hits and no walks while striking out eight. Four of the five Savage Storm runs were earned as she worked 5.2 innings from the circle.

            Malone came on in the sixth and allowed no hits and just one walk in 1.1 innings for her second save of the season.

            Trailing 3-0 after four innings, ECU got on the board in the fifth off Barber's two-run single. Simmons led off with a single and advanced to third off Nordie's double to set the table for Barber.

            The Lady Tigers then scored five times, all unearned, in the sixth with a two-out rally.  After Nordie reached on a two-out error, Barber singled and Kennemer walked to load up the bases. Hughes was hit by a pitch to score Nordie. Watson followed with a two-run double and Cassandra Nordie followed with a two-run single to make it 7-4.

            SOSU added one run in the bottom half of the sixth, but was shut down by Malone in the seventh.

            The Savage Storm had three errors in the contest while ECU ended up with one.

            The Lady Tigers and SOSU will battle again in an LSC North doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lady Tiger Field in Ada. Following those pair of games, ECU will host Northeastern State in a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday for more LSC North play.

ECU-Southeastern Oklahoma Game 1 Boxscore

ECU-Southeastern Oklahoma Game 2 Boxscore