Redhawks drop their opening series at Auburn

~ Southeast fell 6-1 on Sunday but managed a victory in the three-game series

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team, after coming so close to winning its season-opening series the day before, wound up dropping the three-game set at Auburn.

Auburn, a Southeastern Conference program, posted a 6-1 victory Sunday.

That came after Southeast won Friday's opener 13-8, then saw Auburn rally with three runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to prevail 9-8 on Saturday.

"We got a win, we could have had two," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "We played an exciting series. Overall we had some really good performances."

After banging out 28 hits and scoring 21 runs in the first two games, the Redhawks were shut down by 6-foot-7, 250-pound left-hander Cole Nelson.

Nelson, a junior college transfer making his Auburn debut, fired 6 1/3 scoreless innings before being removed after throwing 94 pitches. Nelson allowed three hits and walked four while striking out three.

"He was really good," Hogan said.

By the time Nelson left the game, Southeast trailed 6-0.

The Redhawks broke the shutout with an unearned run in the seventh inning. They had a chance to make things interesting in the eighth but left the bases loaded.

Southeast finished with seven hits, led by juco transfer second baseman Taylor Heon with two. He also walked twice.

Heon went 6-for-13 in the series. Juco transfer left fielder Michael Adamson matched Heon in hits as he went 6-for-15, all his damage coming in the first two games.

The Redhawks stranded 11 runners in the finale, six coming over the final three innings.

"We had some opportunities," Hogan said.

Auburn had only eight hits against sjx Southeast pitchers, but the Tigers took advantage of seven walks, two hit batters and two errors.

Southeast hurlers issued 20 walks in the series while hitting six batters.

Starter Jordan Underwood, another of Southeast's 13 juco transfers, suffered the loss despite allowing just three hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Underwood walked three, hit two batters and was charged with three runs (two earned). He struck out four.

The Tigers jumped on top in the second inning on a hit batter, a walk and a two-out single.

Auburn made it 2-0 in the third on a walk, a hit batter and a two-out single.

A single, an error and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth. Underwood struck out the next hitter, then was replaced on the mound by junior Corey Harness.

Harness walked the first batter he faced to force in a run that was charged to Underwood, but Harness retired the next two hitters without further damage.

Harness gave up two runs in the fifth as Auburn opened up a 5-0 lead. The Tigers added their final run in the sixth on the day's only homer, off junior Brad LaBruyere from Central.

Two pitchers making their Southeast debuts fired scoreless innings, juco transfer Jacob Wente in the seventh and freshman Shae Simmons in the eighth.

Simmons, a heralded Scott City product, struck out the first collegiate batter he faced. He later walked a hitter before setting Auburn down.

Southeast, field conditions permitting, is scheduled to play its first home game at 2 p.m. Tuesday against NAIA program Mid-Continent.