Gamecocks sweep pair from Redhawks

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team lost a lopsided opener and a narrow nightcap in Jacksonville, Ala.

Host Jacksonville State's doubleheader sweep Saturday bolstered the Gamecocks' Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title hopes while delivering a major blow to the Redhawks'.

The Gamecocks won the first game 16-6 by scoring 15 straight runs and polished off the sweep with a 4-3 victory.

JSU, the OVC preseason favorite, improved to 15-16 overall and a second-place 8-3 in league play.

Southeast (14-13, 5-4) dipped into sixth place in the 10-team conference. The Redhawks are assured of losing their third series at JSU in as many tries since the Gamecocks joined the OVC in 2004.

Things actually began well for the Redhawks on Saturday as they led 6-1 through 1 1/2 innings of the opener, thanks to three runs in each of the first two frames.

But JSU hit Southeast with 15 unanswered runs, going ahead for good with a five-run third inning that made it 9-6.

The Redhawks were blanked for the final seven frames of the nine-inning first game — getting just one hit during that span — by two relievers. Nick Hetland worked 6 1/3 innings after starter Jason Zylstra lasted only 1 2/3 frames.

Southeast starter James Leigh was knocked out in the third inning before recording an out. The junior left-hander allowed five runs, four earned, and six hits. He struck out three and walked one.

Senior right-hander Lance Rhodes took the loss as he gave up four runs and two hits while retiring two batters. Rhodes walked four as Southeast's four hurlers combined to walk eight batters and allow 15 hits.

Junior outfielder Tyrell Cummings and junior first baseman Matt Wagner both had two hits and drove in two runs for the Redhawks. Southeast had only five hits.

The seven-inning second game was close throughout as the squads took turns exchanging leads.

JSU scored a run off senior right-hander Dustin Renfrow in the first inning, but the Redhawks tied it in the fourth on junior designated hitter Kieran Bradford's RBI single that plated Cummings, who singled and stole second base.

JSU went ahead 2-1 in its half of the fourth as a run scored on a Renfrow wild pitch.

Sophomore catcher Jim Klocke's two-run single in the fifth put Southeast back on top 3-2.

JSU regained the lead — this time for good — with a two-run fifth. The tying run scored on a sacrifice fly and the go-ahead tally came home on another wild pitch by Renfrow.

The Redhawks threatened in their final at-bat in the seventh as junior second baseman Tony Spencer singled to lead off and Klocke drew a one-out walk.

But all-OVC closer Alex Jones, who relieved Ben Tootle after Spencer's hit, retired Cummings and Wagner — Southeast's top two RBI men — to end the contest.

Jones got Cummings to pop out foul on the infield, then struck out Wagner swinging.

Renfrow worked 5 2/3 innings, allowed seven hits and all four runs as he fell to 3-2. The all-OVC hurler struck out seven and walked six to go along with three wild pitches.

The Redhawks and Gamecocks will close out their three-game series at 1 p.m. today with a nine-inning contest as Southeast tries to avoid being swept.