Huskers rough up Southeast pitchers

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team got off to a strong start Saturday but could not avoid a second straight loss to Nebraska.

Southeast scored four first-inning runs before seeing host Nebraska explode for a 20-6 romp. That came after the Cornhuskers won Friday's series opener 6-2.

The squads will close out the three-game set at 12:05 p.m. today in Lincoln, Neb.

Nebraska, last in the Big 12 Conference, improved to 22-24.

Southeast, which fell out of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference, is 27-19. The Redhawks now are tied for second with Jacksonville State, one-half game behind Murray State.

The Redhawks had 13 hits Saturday but only one over the final five innings as they were stymied by Nebraska's bullpen. Southeast grounded into four double plays.

Sophomore shortstop Kenton Parmley had his second three-hit game of the series as he went 3 for 5 with a double. That was Southeast's only extra-base hit of the day.

Junior third baseman Casey Jones also went 3 for 5. He drove in two runs.

Senior catcher Jim Klocke and junior second baseman Tim Rupp both added two hits.

Klocke drove in a run, which gives him 183 career RBIs and moves him one behind program record-holder Jeremy Johnson.

Nebraska had 16 hits, including Cody Asche's third grand slam of the season. He had three hits and six RBIs.

The Redhawks had five hits in their four-run first inning. Junior center fielder Blake Slattery delivered the key blow, a two-RBI single. Jones and Rupp added RBI singles.

Nebraska answered with five runs in the top of the first.

Southeast tied the contest in the second on Klocke's RBI single before Nebraska went ahead for good with a run in the bottom of the frame.

The Cornhuskers led just 7-6 when Asche belted his grand slam in the fourth. All four runs were unearned.

Nebraska cruised the rest of the way, holding Southeast scoreless. Ahead 13-6, the Cornhuskers turned things into a rout with a five-run seventh.

Junior left-hander Logan Mahon (2-3) took the loss. He allowed five hits and seven runs, six earned, in 2 2/3 innings. Southeast used four more pitchers.

Nebraska pulled starter Tom Lemke after he allowed eight hits and five runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Casey Hauptman (2-4) held the Redhawks to one run on five hits over the next 5 1/3 innings to notch the win.

Nebraska 6, Southeast 2

In Friday's game, Southeast's high-powered offense that began the weekend ranked fifth nationally with a .358 batting average was held to five hits.

The Redhawks struck out a season-high 13 times, 12 of those coming against Nebraska ace Michael Mariot (5-5), who walked just one in eight innings.

Parmley was Southeast's hitting star as he went 3 for 4 with his 11th home run of the season and two RBIs.

Jones had his 18-game hitting streak snapped.

Southeast grabbed a 1-0 third-inning lead as junior DH Ky Burgess led off with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Parmley's ground out.

Nebraska went ahead for good with a four-run fourth that featured the Big 12-leading 16th homer by Adam Bailey. The Cornhuskers' other two runs came in the fifth inning.

The Redhawks' other run came in the fifth on Parmley's solo homer.

Junior Nick Thomas (6-1) suffered his first loss of the season. He allowed seven hits and six runs, five earned, in six innings. He struck out a season-high seven and walked two.

Juniors Trent Wise and Jon Dicus both threw a perfect inning for Southeast.