INDIANS GET ALL THE BOUNCES IN ROUTS OF TWO DIFFERENT SQUADS

For the Indians of Southeast Missouri, it was just a matter of getting things to go the right way.

After winning just one of three OVC games last weekend against Eastern Illinois and accumulating 18 hits overall, Southeast steamrolled to a pair of victories Wednesday at Capaha Field.

Charlie Marino played the role of the ultimate cleanup hitter in a 13-1 victory over McKendree College, belting three home runs. Three Southeast pitchers then combined to blank a hard-hitting Missouri Baptist squad 8-0 in a make-up game. Southeast improved to 17-12 with the wins.

Against McKendree (6-9), Marino, a terrifying looking right-handed hitter at 5-foot-10 and 250 pounds, demonstrated his strength with all three homers to the opposite field.

His first three-homer game of his career gave him a team-high 10 on the season. He also had five RBIs to boost his team-leading total to 27.

Southeast coach Mark Hogan has been preaching hitting to right field to his squad and Marino proved to be a prize pupil with a two-run shot in the fourth, a mammoth solo blast in the sixth and a two-run homer in the eighth.

"I've been struggling the first half of the season," said Marino, who came in batting .305. "Today I concentrated on seeing the ball and going with it. I believe that's my most powerful way. You have to be swinging well to go (out of the park) that way."

Hogan was pleased with his team's all-round play. He saw seven pitchers combine to throw 16 innings without an earned run. The Indians also committed just two errors and center fielder Jeremy Johnson turn in a bases-loaded defensive gem in the first inning against Missouri Baptist.

But he was exceptionally excited about Marino, who he thinks is coming together at the plate.

Marino went 0 for 3 against Missouri Baptist, but Hogan said a line drive out to right field may have been his hardest hit of the day.

"As long as he hits the ball to right field he's going to be successful," said Hogan. "He's just so strong."

Steve Lowe homered in each game, giving him four on the season, and Robert Kern, who led the team in homers at the start of the day, blasted his ninth in the second game.

"I think everyone just tried to drive the ball to right field," said Lowe, a right-handed batter who hit both his homers to right field. "The wind was blowing out so I thought I might as well take advantage of it."

He also gave credit to Marino, who was lurking in the on-deck circle.

"He's coming around, and hitting behind me doesn't hurt," said Lowe. "They pitch to me and give me fastballs cause they don't want to pitch to him. He's coming around. Once we get him going we should be rolling. He's definitely a good hitter."

Southeast scored one in the first and two in the third against McKendree and then pushed across five runs in the fourth for an 8-0 lead.

McKendree's lone run came in the fifth and was unearned.

Kyle Yount also had three hits as the Indians banged out 16 on the game.

Starter Lanson DeBrock went five innings for his first win of the season. He struck out five and allowed four hits. He was followed to the mound by Marc Sheffer, Jerry Wolsey and Allan Landgren.

Missouri Baptist came into the second game -- a seven inning contest -- with a 17-6 record, but struggled offensively with 10 stranded runners and defensively with seven errors.

Missouri Baptist's problems started from the outset as Johnson made a diving catch in the right-center field gap to end a bases-loaded threat in the first.

"That was the play of the game for us," said Hogan.

It set the stage for a three-pitcher shutout against a team which came in batting .394, the highest average the Indians have come across this year.

With the momentum, the Indians saw Lowe and Kern belt two-run homers in the home half of the first for a 4-0 lead. Southeast added three unearned runs in the second for a 7-0 lead.

Jason Swearingen (5-2) pitched the first two innings for the win. Dan Huesgen followed with two shutout innings and Ryan Spille pitched the final three frames.

Southeast has a three-game OVC series at Austin Peay this weekend. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.