Redhawks fall to Golden Eagles, lose second OVC series

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team dropped its second Ohio Valley Conference series of the season with a 4-3 loss to Tennessee Tech on Saturday in Cookeville, Tennessee.

It's the first time since 2013 that the two-time defending conference champion Redhawks have lost more than one conference series in a season.

Southeast was limited to four hits in the game. The Redhawks are now 31-15 and 20-6 in conference after losing their third consecutive game.

Southeast took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second without recording a hit. Chris Osborne drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a passed ball, took third on a fly out and scored on a wild pitch.

TTU went up 3-1 in the bottom of the third on a two-run home run by Jake Farr and an RBI groundout.

Osborne recorded the Redhawks' first hit of the game with a one-out home run to right in the top of the fourth that made it a one-run game.

Southeast stranded the bases loaded in the top of the fifth, and the Golden Eagles scored their final run in the home half. Kevin Strohschein, who followed up Friday's 4-for-4 performance with another 4-for-4 outing, hit a one-out double down the right-field line and scored on a two-out throwing error by third baseman Andy Lack to make it 4-2.

The Redhawks' only other hit was a leadoff home run by Garrett Gandolfo in the eighth for the final score. Branden Boggetto and Trevor Ezell both singled for Southeast.

Farr, Trevor Putzig and Josh Pankratz each recorded two hits for TTU, which improved to 25-19 and 12-11 in conference.

Clay Chandler took the loss on the mound for Southeast, dropping to 4-3. He allowed four runs (three earned) on 10 hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six. Adam Pennington pitched two scoreless innings of relief. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out three.

TTU starter Jake Usher (2-0) allowed two earned runs on three hits in five innings of work to get the win. He walked five and struck out five. Ethan Roberts picked up his first save of the season. He gave up one earned run on one hit with a walk and five strikeouts over the final four innings.

Southeast will try to avoid its first conference sweep in the series finale at 1 p.m. today.