Indians drop 17-16 thriller to Skyhawks in 10 innings

MARTIN, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University has won eight of its past 11 games, but the Indians will not carry a winning streak into the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

The Indians lost their regular-season finale Saturday as host Tennessee-Martin scored five runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to post a wild 17-16 victory, giving the Skyhawks one triumph in the three-game series.

Southeast (26-26, 15-11) wound up tied for fourth place among 10 OVC squads. The Indians, the fifth seed for the six-team conference tournament, will play second-seeded Eastern Illinois at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Paducah, Ky. UTM (16-38, 7-20) finished tied for last place.

The Indians had 19 hits, giving them 50 hits in the series and 67 hits in their last four games.

Ernie Bracamonte went 4-for-6, including his seventh home run of the season and second of the series, to lead Southeast. He also scored five runs.

Frankie Montiel was 3-for-7, including his fourth homer of the season and second of the series, to go along with four RBIs.

Gary Gilbert went 3-for-6 with two doubles; Eric Horstman and Brady Noll both added two hits; and Keith Wollis got his first homer. Gilbert had eight hits in the series while Horstman and Montiel added seven apiece.

UTM was even better at the plate with 23 hits, including five by Adam Salter and four by Bryant Jones. Brett Spivy homered and had five RBIs while Jones also homered.

Southeast led 5-0 after three innings before UTM exploded with a nine-run fifth, five of the runs being unearned.

UTM forces extra innings

The Indians rallied back and led 12-9 thanks to a four-run eighth, but the Skyhawks answered with two in the bottom of the eighth and then forced extra innings by scoring once in the ninth.

Southeast appeared to take charge with four runs in the top of the 10th, including a two-run, tie-breaking homer by Wollis. It was the first Southeast homer for Wollis, a junior college transfer who has seen limited playing time this season.

But with Southeast virtually out of pitching, little-used Gary Gilbert -- the Indians' third baseman who worked 2 2/3 innings Wednesday against Missouri -- was left out for his third inning of work and the Skyhawks tagged him for their winning five-run rally that featured six hits. Nick Luper ended the game with a one-out, two-run double.

Gilbert (0-3), Southeast's fifth hurler, allowed 10 hits and six runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Starter Mike Fitch went 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and five runs (four earned). Ryan Forsyth was charged with four unearned runs and four hits in 1/3 of an inning, Brad Smith worked two scoreless and hitless frames, and Matt Carter allowed two hits and two runs without recording an out.