Potential blunder turns golden in Southeast Missouri State baseball team's win

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team made several dazzling defensive plays Friday night during the opener of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference home series against Murray State.

Southeast had one defensive blunder, which was by All-American senior third baseman Trenton Moses of all people.

But the Redhawks' luck has improved considerably lately, and the aforementioned play is a perfect example.

What looked like an error on Moses and a potential big inning for the Thoroughbreds wound up being an out and saved at least two runs and possibly more.

It was a key early moment in Southeast's 7-1 win. Southeast stranded 16 MSU baserunners while getting timely hitting and solid pitching in the victory.

Southeast Missouri State's Andy Lennington makes contact during Friday's game against Murray State at Capaha Field. (ADAM VOGLER)

"Maybe the baseball gods are starting to go our way," Moses said with a smile.

MSU trailed 3-0 when it placed men on second and third with one out in the top of the third inning.

Paul Ritzheimer's ground ball to third appeared to be booted by Moses. Colton Speed scored easily and Noah Zipko raced home from second base after Southeast senior shortstop Kenton Parmley did not make much of an effort to pick up the ball as it settled near his feet.

But just when it looked like MSU had sliced its deficit to 3-2 with a potential rally still under way, third-base umpire Manny Gonzalez ruled that Moses had completely whiffed on the grounder in question and it wound up hitting Zipko as he was heading from second base to third base.

According to the rules, Ritzheimer was awarded a single but Zipko was out and Speed had to return to third.

Had Moses touched the ball, which MSU coaches and players believed he did, it would have been an error and changed the complexion of the inning.

Instead of slicing the deficit to 3-2 and having a runner on first with one out, it remained 3-0 and the Thoroughbreds had runners on first and third with two outs.

"It was a huge play," Moses said.

Southeast junior starter Shae Simmons walked the next batter to load the bases but escaped the jam with a strikeout. He went on to pitch six strong innings.

"I didn't know whether Moses got a glove on it or not," Simmons said. "I'm glad it went our way. We needed it."

Said Moses: "I know I didn't touch it. I looked back and I was screaming at Kenton to get it. I had no idea it had hit the runner."

A laughing Parmley acknowledged later that it was risky for him not to hurry after the ball in order to keep a second runner from scoring. But he thought he knew how the ultimate ruling would turn out.

"I didn't think he [Moses] touched it. It clearly hit the runner in the foot," Parmley said. "I guess I took a chance. I've never seen a play like that."

The Thoroughbreds stranded 16 runners and left the bases loaded three times.

"The numbers are odd," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "They were just a hit or two away from breaking it open. I give our defense credit."

Moses later made one of Southeast's several defensive gems, a diving stop that resulted in a force at second base.

Senior second baseman Taylor Heon turned in two stellar defensive plays during the fifth inning when MSU scored its only run and might have had several more.

Heon made a diving catch on a soft line drive headed for center field with a man on first base and one out.

Mike Kozlowski followed with an RBI double into the right-field corner that cut MSU's deficit to 4-1.

Redshirt freshman right fielder Jason Blum dug the ball out of the corner, and Heon's perfect relay to Moses was ruled to have just nipped Kozlowski, who was trying for a triple, to end the inning.

"All those plays were huge," said Hogan, whose squad did not commit an error for the fourth straight game.

Simmons (5-4) allowed one run and eight hits over six innings. He struck out six, walked five and hit a batter.

"I thought I did all right," said Simmons, who improved to 5-1 in OVC games. "I need to cut the walks down."

Simmons' solid work held up thanks in large part to the continued brilliant relief work of sophomore left-hander Christian Hull, who began the season as a starter and has excelled since being moved to the bullpen.

Hull entered in the seventh inning after MSU's first two hitters reached. An infield single loaded the bases with nobody out.

Kozlowski's scorching line drive was caught on the infield. Hull fell behind 3-1 on the next two batters but got an infield pop fly and fly ball to center field to escape the jam without a run scoring.

Hull worked out of another bases-loaded threat with two outs after he hit a batter and walked two in the eighth inning.

Hull pitched the final three innings for his team-leading third save of the season. He allowed one hit, struck out two, walked three and hit two batters. He has fired 9 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

"He made a lot of big pitches," Hogan said. "He's a guy that's just made for the role. He shows a lot of confidence."

The Redhawks were outhit 9-8 but made their chances count.

Southeast went ahead for good with three runs on one hit in the second inning. An error and two walks loaded the bases with nobody out.

True freshman DH Ryan Barnes belted a two-RBI double off the center-field wall. Senior catcher Jesse Tierney followed with a sacrifice fly.

Moses doubled with one out and came home on senior first baseman Kody Campbell's two-out double in the third inning.

The Redhawks added a run in the seventh inning and two in the eighth.

Parmley drew a two-out walk and scored on Blum's double in the seventh. Tierney delivered another sacrifice fly in the eighth, and sophomore Cole Bieser added an RBI infield single.