Billikens' rally stings 'Hawks

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team was swept in its annual two-game season series against Saint Louis University for the second straight year.

Tuesday's 7-6 road defeat was the most excruciating of the four losses to the Billikens.

Southeast carried a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. SLU tied it in that frame thanks to a pair of two-run homers, then scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning.

Four of the Bills' final five runs were unearned.

"That's about as bad of a loss as you can handle," first-year Southeast interim coach Steve Bieser said. "We made way too many mistakes. We just really struggled to put a team away when we had them on the ropes."

The Bills, who set a school record in 2012 with 41 wins, improved to 13-9.

Southeast fell to 11-11. The Redhawks lost to SLU 8-4 on Feb. 26 in Cape Girardeau after dropping last year's two meetings 22-11 and 4-0.

Southeast fell behind 2-0 in the third inning but took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning, all three runs scoring with two outs.

After the first batter was retired, junior first baseman Matt Tellor walked and sophomore third baseman Andy Lennington singled. After the second out, sophomore DH Nolan Fisher tied things with a two-double and freshman right fielder Clayton Evans delivered an RBI single.

Lennington's second home run of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth inning after Tellor led off with a single, put Southeast up 5-2.

The Redhawks appeared to be in great shape when junior left fielder Derek Gibson scored on a passed ball in the seventh inning to make it 6-2.

But the Bills stormed back.

An error in the bottom of the seventh was followed by a one-out homer from C.J. Rose. After a single and the second out, Alex Kelly belted a two-run shot that forged a 6-6 tie. Three of the runs were unearned due to the error.

SLU went ahead for good in the eighth inning, the run unearned after a leadoff error. A one-out single and a ground out left runners on second and third with two outs. Jeremy Phillips then scored on a wild pitch.

Southeast had two especially impressive performances.

Senior Trevor Kill, mostly a reliever during his two-year Southeast career, had a second strong start in just his second collegiate start.

Kill allowed six hits and two runs in a career-high six innings. He did not record a strikeout but issued just one walk.

That came after Kill fired five two-hit, shutout innings during a 4-3 win at Arkansas-Little Rock on March 6 although he did not figure into the decision, just like Tuesday.

"Trevor Kill was outstanding," Bieser said.

Fisher's first career start was a memorable one after he received just three official at-bats last season and entered Tuesday's contest with just six official at-bats.

Fisher recorded his first collegiate hit when he singled in the second inning. He followed with his two-run double in the fourth inning and wound up 2 for 2 with a sacrifice. He was also hit by pitch.

"Nolan Fisher got an opportunity and was outstanding," Bieser said.

Both squads had 10 hits. Tellor and Lennington joined Fisher in getting two hits for Southeast.

Senior Tony Zerrusen (0-1), Southeast's third and final pitcher, took the loss. He was charged with two unearned runs and two hits in 1 1/3 innings. Junior Hank Williams Jr. allowed three runs, one earned, and two hits while retiring just one batter.

Southeast resumes its Ohio Valley Conference schedule this weekend with a three-game road series against Morehead State. Starting times are 2 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday and noon Sunday.

The Redhawks are 3-3 in OVC play, tied for sixth place in the 11-team league. The Eagles (2-4) are tied for eighth.

Morehead State has not yet played a home game this season because heavy rain has flooded its field. The Eagles' scheduled OVC home series against Murray State two weeks ago was played in Mason, Ohio.

Southeast has not yet received word if the series will be played in Morehead, Ky., or if it will have to be moved to another field in the region.