Offensive outburst leads Southeast baseball team to win

~ The Redhawks opened a three-game series with an 18-0 victory on Friday

Runs had been somewhat hard to come by for the Southeast Missouri baseball team, which produced eight runs over its last three games prior to its weekend series against Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne.

That wasn't the case Friday as the Redhawks crushed visiting IPFW 18-0 in the opening game of a three-game series at Capaha Field.

"I think this was a good morale-booster for our team because we have struggled offensively and to come out and open it up," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said, "and not just open it up in one or two innings -- we had a consistent approach throughout the entire game and that carried on for nine innings."

Southeast had 19 hits and plated a run in every inning except the fifth.

The Redhawks (4-2) scored one run in each of the first two innings before an explosive seven-run third inning put them well on their way to their fourth victory of the season.

Andy Lennington hit a leadoff double down the left-field line and was driven in on a Dalton Hewitt single. Derek Gibson singled and Andy Lack put down a sacrifice bunt to advance Hewitt and Gibson to second and third, and then Clayton Evans was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Hewitt scored on a wild pitch and Jason Blum reached base on balls to reload the bases. Cole Bieser singled to score Gibson and a fielding error by the shortstop scored Evans. Matt Tellor singled to score Blum and Cole Ferguson hit his first home run as a Redhawk over the wall in right field to make it 9-0.

"Our offense clicked on all cylinders. We did everything from driving the ball in the gaps, to bunting and sac flies and taking free bases," Southeast center fielder Cole Bieser said. "I think that's -- obviously we're not going to score 18 runs every night -- but I think that's how we play the game, and when we're playing well that's how we're going to play. A lot of strikes from our guys, good defense and we're going to do those little things that I just talked about, you know, the small stuff like getting guys over and manufacturing runs."

IPFW used five pitchers in the game and starter Brandon Pease (1-1) was credited with the loss.

Southeast added two runs in the fourth, one in the sixth, four in the seventh and two in the eighth for the final score.

Cole Bieser was 2 for 3 with five RBIs and two runs. Blum was 2 for 4 with an RBI and three runs and Gibson was 3 for 4 with two runs.

All 13 Southeast batters recorded a hit in the victory. Alex Burridge, Nolan Fisher, John Logan Zink and Ryan Barnes each recorded pinch hits. Burridge picked up two RBIs and Fisher drove in one run. Zink and Barnes each scored.

"I think for any club to be good you've got to have a bench and they've got to know that they have a role, and you've got to be able to count on them," Steve Bieser said. "For us to be able to get them in in a non-pressure situation tonight was good kind of for their first go-around because they're going to be called on in a lot of pressure situations. I was really pleased with the way the bench came in and they could've been easily, 'This is just an at-bat. The game's in hand,' but they really locked in and they had good at-bats and they had good results because they had good at-bats."

Southeast's pitching was just as impressive against the Mastodons (2-3).

Starting pitcher Tyler Iago (2-0) picked up his second win. The right-hander recorded nine strikeouts in six innings of work, allowing only three hits and one walk.

"I had a lot of movement on my fastball today," Iago said. "Struggled a little bit early with a little bit of command but settled down a little bit and when you get an offense like that it sure makes it easier to go out there."

The only real struggle for Iago came in the first inning.

IPFW's Tyler Shepherd hit a leadoff double to right center and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Iago's one-out, 3-2 pitch to Carter DeBoe was grounded right back to him. Iago glanced at third base to hold the runner and threw to first for the second out. A fly-out to center ended the inning.

"With Tyler is the fact that he gave up the leadoff double, and whenever he gets in those situations he has another gear and he clicks it in, and he becomes more focused and locates even better than what he does as he's cruising through the game," Steve Bieser said. "He really locked in. I thought he made some great pitches. He gave up the leadoff double, they did a good job of getting the runner over to third with one out and that's when he bared down and made a key pitch to their three-hole hitter to get him to ground back to him, and then from there I think he was off and cruising from that point on."

Caruthersville graduate and Three Rivers Community College transfer Perry Middleton took over on the mound in the seventh inning for his first outing as a Redhawk. He pitched two innings, striking out three and giving up one hit.

Sophomore Alex Siddle pitched the ninth inning and struck out the side.