MU SNARES 8-5 VICTORY OVER SEMO

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- If not for a spectacular catch by Missouri right fielder Wes Fewell, Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team might have been able to salvage a split of its two-game season series with the Tigers.

But Fewell leaped high and reached over the right-field fence with two out in the top of the eighth inning to take away what appeared to be a go-ahead grand-slam home run by Clemente Bonilla, preserving the Tigers' 8-5 lead and their victory by the same score Tuesday night.

The Tigers, who earlier this month beat Southeast 7-2 in Cape Girardeau, improved to 22-16-1 while the Indians fell to 25-14.

A two-run double by Jeff Bourbon in the first inning put the Indians ahead early. Brad Beatty's RBI single in the second made it 3-1.

MU tied it in the bottom of the second, then the Tigers came up with five runs in the fourth -- all of them unearned thanks to a key error -- first knocking out starter Brad Purcell and then getting a Mick Weiss grand slam off reliever Mark Frazier.

Trailing 8-3, the Indians made things interesting in the eighth, getting an RBI single from Shane Allen and an RBI groundout from Denver Stuckey. Then, with the bases loaded and two outs, Bonilla was robbed by Fewell to end the threat. Southeast was retired in order in the ninth.

Both teams had nine hits. Tristen McDonald led the Indians with two while Fewell had three for the Tigers.

Purcell (3-2) took the loss, even though only two of the six runs off him were earned. He gave up six hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Greg Lunski and Andy Davidson helped keep the Indians in the game with exceptional relief as both struck out three in two scoreless innings, Davidson allowing the only hit over the final four frames.

Freshman Shaun Marcum (3-1) was the winner. He allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in six innings, with nine strikeouts. Ryan Stegall earned his fifth save with a perfect ninth.

The Indians will be right back in action today, hosting Southern Illinois at 3 p.m.

• Southeast players still rank high in this week's NCAA Division I national statistics.

Pitcher Todd Pennington, who has lowered his earned-run average to 1.07, remains third in that department. Middle Tennessee's Dewon Brazelton is the national leader (0.96).

Pennington, who is scheduled to start today's game against SIU, is also tied for 15th in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.3.

Bonilla is 16th in batting average at .435 (prior to Tuesday). The leader is UCLA's Brian Baron (.500).