Redhawks post first win of year

HAMMOND, La. -- The Southeast Missouri State baseball team made the most of five hits Friday night, as the Redhawks defeated host Southeastern Louisiana 5-2 for their first win of the season.

The Redhawks (1-3) and Lions (4-4) resume their three-game series at 1 p.m. today. The set concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest.

Southeast, which was swept in a season-opening three-game series at top-ranked Tulane, prevailed Friday with stellar relief pitching, errorless defense and some timely hitting.

Starter Derek Herbig allowed four hits and two runs in 4 2/3 innings, as he was hurt by wildness. He walked five and threw three wild pitches to go along with three strikeouts. But three Southeast relievers combined to blank the Lions.

Freshman Joey Evans was the winner with 3 1/3 brilliant innings, allowing three hits while striking out five and walking one, as he notched his first collegiate victory.

Jackson High School product Josh Parham, a junior college transfer, struck out the first batter in the ninth, then All-American closer Brad Smith retired the next two hitters for his first save of the season. Smith had a school-record 11 saves last year.

The Redhawks broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning as junior college transfer Jordan Payne delivered a two-out, two-run single. Payne had two of Southeast's five hits.

Eric Horstman's RBI double in the ninth provided some insurance. It was Southeast's only extra-base hit of the game.

"We didn't do much offensively, but the story was the relief pitching. Joey Evans was superb," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "The two-out hit Jordan Payne got was huge, and the other thing I really liked was no errors."

Southeast, trailing 1-0, went ahead 2-1 in the fourth. Junior college transfer Quenten Rouse drove in a run with a ground out and Freddy Lopez scored on a wild pitch.

The Lions, who had scored their first run in the third, tied things in the bottom of the fourth before Southeast went ahead for good in the sixth.

Frankie Montiel and Brent Lawson had Southeast's other hits.