Lucchesi ties Southeast Missouri State baseball record with 17 Ks of Murray State in 10-3 win

Apart from the spark in his eyes and a few words of excitement, it would've been hard to tell how Southeast Missouri State starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi really felt about his performance on the mound Thursday night.

The senior lefty was still so locked in to the mindset that'd helped him record a career-high and Southeast-record 17 strikeouts in the Redhawks' 10-3 victory over Murray State that there wasn't much emotion shown.

"My main focus was not to get upset, like, on bad calls or if there were any errors because that's been happening to me lately," Lucchesi said. "I've just been trying to stay calm and focused and get back in there and throw strikes."

Lucchesi was coming off only his third loss of the season and second Ohio Valley Conference loss last Friday, exiting the game after a season-low five innings against Jacksonville State.

This time around, against one of the top offenses in the nation, he made sure to keep telling himself, "I'm a better pitcher than they are hitters."

Southeast Missouri State's Joey Lucchesi throws a pitch during the Redhawks' 10-3 victory over Murray State on Thursday night at Capaha FieldWayne McPherson ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian

He was perfect through the first three innings before issuing a one-out walk in the top of the fourth; he escaped the inning unscathed with an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

MSU's first hit came off the bat of Cape Central graduate Ramsey Scott to lead off the fifth, but Lucchesi struck out the side to strand him.

The Racers got another base hit in the sixth, but he recorded three strikeouts to match his career high of 13 and keep the visitors off the board.

MSU finally scratched a run across in the top of the seventh, when the Redhawks had already scored nine runs. Lucchesi gave up three consecutive singles to start the frame and a run scored on a 6-3 double play to cut it to 9-1. The inning ended with strikeout No. 14.

Lucchesi gave up one hit and issued one walk in the eighth, but got all three outs via strikeout to tie John Holdner's single-game record from 1961 and up his season total to 105.

"That was quite a performance from Joey, and very excited to see him get a game where he's had everything," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said. "We'd seen it several times last year where he had all three pitches going, could throw them for strikes, and I honestly believe that as well as he's thrown the ball this year this is the first time he's thrown all three pitches. ... When he has all three pitches going you see what really happens."

The defending OVC Pitcher of the Year put in extra work with pitching coach Lance Rhodes to try to figure out why he hadn't been able to put it all together yet this season, even though he boasts the league's top ERA.

"Coach Rhodes and him have put several bullpen sessions in from the start of the season because I think as well as he's thrown, none of us have been completely satisfied. We know there's more in there and there's better," Bieser said. "What we saw was the best that it could be tonight. I thought he was fantastic tonight."

Lucchesi improved to 8-3 with the victory, allowing one earned run on six hits with just two walks.

"It's not anything that surprises me, personally," said designated hitter Scott Mitchell, who was teammates with Lucchesi at Chabot College and caught for him consistently last season. "Last year he showed what kind of pitcher he is and what he's able to do every time he steps on the mound. Again, he just did it tonight. He's got great stuff and when all three pitches are working, man, the other team's in trouble; they're not going to do a whole lot. ... 17 Ks, tip your cap."

Mitchell recorded three of the Redhawks' 13 hits.

Murray State starter Brad Boegel (0-2) took the loss, allowing seven earned runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Chris Osborne crushed his 11th home run of the season to right center to put Southeast up 1-0 in the second and Trevor Ezell hit a solo shot just fair in right in the third. Two at-bats later, Branden Boggetto made it 3-0 with an RBI triple to left center.

Brian Lees and Boggetto each had an RBI single in the fourth and Ezell drove in two runs to make it 7-0 after four innings. Mitchell drove in the eighth run in the fifth.

Garrett Gandolfo extended his hitting streak to 21 games with a single to center in the sixth and Osborne followed with an RBI infield single on a chopper up the middle to make it 9-0.

Mitchell accounted for the Redhawks' final run, scoring on a wild pitch in the seventh.

Eight of Southeast's runs were scored with two outs.

"It just says something about the toughness of our team when we get two outs on us, there's nobody in that dugout that wants to make that third out," Bieser said. "That's just being hungry for their at-bats and being hungry to get the next guy up. Dan Holst had a hit streak going and he takes three walks -- I mean, that's team baseball right there. ... That's what I really like about this team the most, that nobody's in it for themselves."

The OVC-leading Redhawks improved to 30-11 and 19-3 in conference and dropped the Racers to 21-22 and 9-10 in conference.

Game 2 of the series is set for 6 p.m. today at Capaha Field.