Alvarez win aids Indians in offensive turnaround

Tim Alvarez continued his masterful pitching to help Southeast Missouri State University's baseball Indians pick up a much-needed victory.

Alvarez improved his record to 4-0 -- he has all of Southeast's wins -- as the Indians defeated St. Louis University 9-4 Wednesday in front of nearly 850 fans on a spring-like afternoon at Capaha Field.

The Indians (4-8) broke a three-game losing streak, while the Billikens (4-4) had a three-game winning streak snapped.

"We needed a win," Alvarez said.

With Alvarez on the mound, there was a good chance the Indians would get one.

A senior lefthander who utilizes a submarine delivery to confound hitters, Alvarez has a Southeast career record of 9-1 since transferring from Eastern Arizona Junior College prior to last season.

After going 5-1 and leading the Ohio Valley Conference with a 2.95 earned-run average last season, Alvarez is perfect so far this year. His ERA is 2.25, and he has allowed just 20 hits in 28 innings.

In Wednesday's game, Alvarez worked eight innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs while striking out five and walking one. SLU took advantage of two hits and two errors to score all of its runs in the sixth inning.

"Tim has been amazing," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "Very few guys go out there and completely erase the other team, but he does."

Alvarez, who said he had solid stuff Wednesday, is intent on leading an inexperienced Southeast pitching staff out of its struggling start to the season.

The Indians lost much of their mound corps from last season's OVC championship team, with Alvarez being the top returner. Donnie Fuller, the only other experienced hurler back from a year ago, recently suffered a shoulder injury that likely will keep him out for the season.

A host of transfers have struggled so far, but Alvarez has faith in that group.

"I talk to the other guys all the time and try to be a leader," Alvarez said. "It's all mental, because we have the talent. We just have to throw strikes."

Alvarez gave way in the ninth to James Beever, who finished up with a hitless inning as he fanned two.

"Eight was enough," Alvarez said, smiling. "I threw a lot of pitches the other day at Southern Mississippi, about 160."

For the second straight day, the Indians banged out 11 hits as their offense continued to come around after a slow start.

Senior shortstop Zach Borowiak had three hits, including his second home run of the season, and drove in three runs.

"We've been struggling a little bit, and this was a big win for us," said Borowiak, who recently broke the school record for career assists.

Senior third baseman Denver Stuckey matched Borowiak with three hits, while senior left fielder Brian Hopkins had two hits, including his second homer, and three RBIs.

"We definitely needed a win to boost the team a little bit," Hopkins said. "Hopefully we can get on a roll."

Borowiak's two-run, two-out homer to center field in the first inning put Southeast ahead 2-0 and the Indians never looked back.

Junior center fielder Seth Moulton's two-run single in the second made it 4-0. After the Indians scored a run in the third, Hopkins' two-run shot to right in the fifth opened up a 7-0 bulge.

SLU made a game of it briefly with a four-run sixth, but the Indians came back with two in the bottom of the frame and coasted from there.

"We had to have this win, after losing three straight and with all we've been through," Hogan said, referring not only to Fuller's injury at Southern Mississippi last weekend but also to pitcher Adam Sherry being hit by a car during the same road trip, an accident that resulted in serious injuries.

While the Indians are off to a slow start, Borowiak -- like Stuckey a four-year starter -- said there's no panic. Last year Southeast began 3-7 but went on to have its best-ever Division I season.

"We always play a tough schedule early to help us get ready for the conference. The record doesn't really mean that much," Borowiak said. "It's only a matter of time before we put it all together."

The Indians are off until Tuesday, when Lipscomb visits Capaha Field for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.