Harris answers bell for Southeast Missouri State baseball team despite banged-up knee

JACKSON, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State senior Nick Harris was especially glad to be back on the field Thursday.

That's because it looked like there was a chance Harris would miss the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the second straight season to end his college career.

Harris suffered a knee injury May 14 at Austin Peay. He missed the next five games before starting in right field as Southeast opened the OVC tournament with an 8-2 loss to Jacksonville State.

Harris also was out for several weeks earlier this season with a knee injury. And he spent last year as a medical redshirt due to an elbow injury.

"The key to me was first rehabbing it real quick," said Harris, a starter since his freshman season who ranks on many of the program's top 10 records lists.

Harris said he was considered day-to-day as late as Wednesday before the knee came around.

"It felt real good today. I told coach I could play," Harris said. "I had a lot of adrenaline today."

Harris went 1 for 4 at the plate Thursday. His first at-bat, in the opening inning, resulted in a single despite hitting a ball off the right-field wall.

Harris said a nice play by JSU right fielder Kyle Bluestein, not the knee, prevented him from going for a double.

"I just read it off the wall and saw he got it quick," Harris said.

A solid start

Senior left-hander Jordan Underwood, despite being hit hard by JSU during a regular-season game, got the starting nod Thursday.

It's hard to fault Underwood (5-1), who suffered his first loss of the year. He allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings with six strikeouts and two walks.

One of the runs off Underwood was unearned. Another could have been avoided but JSU was allowed to take an extra base on a throw to the plate and that man later scored from third on a sacrifice fly.

"I thought I did better this time. I kept the ball down," Underwood said. "They hit some good pitches. They're a good team."

Southeast coach Mark Hogan had no problem with Underwood's performance.

"He pitched well. I would say he pitched his normal game," Hogan said.

Senior Trent Wise threw two scoreless, hitless innings after relieving Underwood to begin the seventh. Wise struck out three and walked none.

Noteworthy

* Southeast outhit JSU 10-9 but the Redhawks had only four hits through seven innings. They managed four hits during the eighth inning that saw them score both their runs. They got two more in the ninth inning.

Junior shortstop Kenton Parmley went 3 for 5 to lead the Redhawks. No other Southeast player had more than one hit. Senior first baseman Casey Jones had the Redhawks' only extra-base hit, a double.

* JSU junior closer Todd Hornsby pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to extend his OVC single-season saves record to 15. He recorded the last out of the eighth inning to preserve the Gamecocks' 4-2 lead.

Hornsby, who allowed three hits but no runs, struck out three. That came after he got the win by working the final two innings of Wednesday's 9-8 first-round victory over Tennessee-Martin. Hornsby gave up five runs, three earned.

* Tennessee-Martin (20-35), Southeast's opponent in today's 11 a.m. elimination game, notched its first-ever OVC tournament win Thursday, beating Eastern Kentucky 6-2 in an elimination contest.

Southeast swept a three-game series from the Skyhawks in Cape Girardeau on April 16 and 17 by a combined score of 24-10.

* Senior Jon Dicus will start on the mound for Southeast against UT-Martin. He is 5-4 with a 4.56 ERA.