INDIANS MAKE SWEEPING DEBUT

Pitching, defense and timely hitting were just three of the areas the Southeast Missouri State baseball team excelled at Saturday afternoon as they opened their home schedule with a doubleheader sweep of the Bradley Braves at Capaha Park.

The Indians, coming off two losses last weekend in Memphis, evened their record at 2-2 with two seven-inning wins. In the first game, senior righthander Dave Siboda went the distance on the mound for a four-hit shutout in the Indians' 10-0 blanking. In Game 2, senior first baseman Jim Gerwitz ripped a one-out RBI-single to left field in the bottom of the seventh to score Todd Pehle from second base to end the game with the Indians on top 3-2.

Bradley, which opened its season with the two losses, will have an opportunity to gain some revenge against the Indians when the two teams battle again today at Capaha Field in a nine-inning contest scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

Bradley seemed to be struggling with the same problems which plagued the Indians in last week's season-opener at the University of Memphis. The Braves struggled in the field, totalling seven errors in the two games with five coming in the first contest.

Southeast Head Coach Mark Hogan noticed the similarities between his team's opener, when the Indians committed eight errors in the weekend series at Memphis.

"We saw Bradley struggle today with some things that in a few ball games they're going to be top notch on," said Hogan following the final game. "I know how (Bradley coach Dewey Kalmer) feels and at the same time their ball club will get better quick."

The Braves almost improved too much in the second game before Gerwitz used an 'extra' strike to lift the Indians to victory in their final at bat.

With one out and runners on first and second, Gerwitz, batting for the first time in the game, swung and just tipped a two-strike pitch from Bradley reliever Troy Koening. Braves' catcher Miguel Osario couldn't handle the foul tip as it fell out of his glove, allowing Gerwitz a new life at the plate.

Gerwitz, thinking Osario had caught the ball for the second out of the inning started back to the dugout, before home plate umpire Mike Thomas directed him back to the plate.

Bradley's Kalmer quickly argued the foul tip call but the ruling stood and Gerwitz took advantage of the break.

"I thought (Osario) caught it and I guess the good Lord popped it out of there," Gerwitz said with a smile. "I knew I had to put the ball in play hard somewhere and it happened to find a hole."

Not much of a hole was needed on Gerwitz's smash between the third baseman and shortstop. With Pehle attempting to score from second on the hit to left, Bradley leftfielder Chris Wold charged the ball hard. But it bounced off his glove as he attempted to field the ball and Pehle, who opened the inning with a walk, scored to end the game.

"That was a big swing for us," Hogan said of Gerwitz's winning hit. "I'm real proud of Jim because he didn't look that good on the earlier pitches in that at bat but he came through when it counted."

Talley Haines (1-0), a sophomore out of Cape Central, picked up the win pitching two scoreless innings in relief while striking out four Braves. Jason Swearingen started for the Indians, pitching five solid innings while allowing only two earned runs.

The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Brian Pepper scored Lamonte Collier on a sacrifice fly. Collier had singled to start the third and finished 3-for-4 in the final game.

Bradley tied it in the fourth on back-to-back doubles, but the Indians got back on top when Shawn Pemberton drove home pinch-runner Scott Sullivan in the fifth with a double.

Bradley got that run back in the sixth when Osario scored on a passed ball by Indians' catcher Mike Miller.

In the opening game of the twin bill, the Indians broke out offensively with five runs in the first three innings and Siboda, with the help of a few sparkling defensive plays, took care of business on the mound with a commanding pitching performance.

Siboda allowed four hits, striking out seven and only once did he face more than four batters in an inning.

That inning was the fifth, when Bradley strung together a two-out walk and single to left to threaten with the Indians leading 5-0. But Siboda struck out Braves leadoff man Chad Saalfrank to get out of his only real pitching jam.

Siboda also benefited from some outstanding defense. With no one out and a runner on first base in the fourth inning, Indians' third baseman Kyle Yount made a sliding play to right on a smash off the bat of Jacob Shaffer.

Yount scooped up the hard grounder to his right, spun around clockwise and fired the ball to second base where Collier completed the double play relay to first.

"The double play that Kyle made over at third base was a beautiful play," Hogan said. "Last week I don't know if we make that play, but the kids are gaining more confidence with their glove."

Southeast jumped ahead in the first, scoring three runs on four hits. Goodman started the rally with a looping triple down the first base line that Bradley's rightfielder dove for but couldn't catch.

Collier then ripped a one-hop line drive off the fence in right-center to score Goodman and scored a batter later when Mike Miller ripped a line drive past the shortstop. Gerwitz scored Pemberton from third on a squeeze bunt to put the Indians up 3-0.

In the third, Southeast broke the game open taking advantage of three Brave errors to score two more runs. Collier, who went 2-for-2 in the first game and 5-for-6 on the day, opened the third with the only hit of the inning. A dropped ball by the Bradley shortstop Shaffer, and then a double-error by third baseman John St. Aubin put Southeast in control.

Five runs in the bottom of the sixth gave Siboda more than enough breathing room to close out the win.