Redhawks fall to JSU in close one

The Jacksonville State baseball team has had a knack for winning close Ohio Valley Conference games this season.

JSU did it again Friday, much to the dismay of Southeast Missouri State.

The Redhawks could not hold on to an 8-4 lead after six innings as the Gamecocks rallied for a 9-8 victory in the opener of a three-game series on a rainy evening at Capaha Field.

"They're a team that doesn't quit. They stay in the game," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said. "We really need to be able to hold on to a four-run lead. It's a frustrating loss."

JSU improved to 23-19 overall and 15-4 in OVC play. The Gamecocks, who have won 10 of their last 11 conference games, took over sole possession of first place in the OVC.

Southeast fell to 20-23 overall and 12-10 in the OVC. The Redhawks, who have lost three of their last four conference games and five of six overall, remained fifth in the 11-team league.

Saturday's scheduled second game of the series was postponed due to heavy overnight rain Friday and the threat of more rain Saturday. It will be made up as part of a 1 p.m. doubleheader today. Per OVC rules for Sunday conference play, the squads will have a nine-inning opener and a seven-inning nightcap.

"We just missed that one," sophomore catcher Alex Burridge said of Friday's loss. "They [the Gamecocks] know how to win. But we've got a lot of series left. We've just got to bounce back."

JSU, which has the best record in OVC play since joining the league in 2004, improved to 7-1 in one-run conference games and 11-2 in OVC contests decided by three runs or less. The Gamecocks have posted five straight one-run victories in OVC action.

"You wish on one hand they weren't all that close," said JSU coach Jim Case, who has led the Gamecocks to five OVC titles. "But on the other hand that's how we are. We're a scrappy club that doesn't give up."

The Redhawks appeared poised to make sure JSU wouldn't have a chance to post a narrow decision when they exploded for five fifth-inning runs to erase a 4-3 deficit and build an 8-4 lead.

But Southeast's offense was stymied the rest of the way and JSU used its own explosion, in the seventh inning, scoring four times to forge an 8-8 tie.

That's the way things stood until the ninth, when JSU took advantage of the wet outfield -- it rained much of the day before the game and, after a break of a couple hours, steady rain fell for the final few innings -- to score a rare run against Southeast senior closer Bobby Hurst.

Junior left fielder Coty Blanchard led off with a line-drive single to center field. It looked like sophomore Jason Blum would be able to make the catch but he slipped coming in and had to play the ball on a hop.

"As of late, it seems like what we're running into," said Bieser, whose squad has suffered three one-run losses in an 11-day span, including two in extra innings. "Our luck has not been very good but you create your own luck."

Hurst struck out the next two batters before Blanchard stole second. He came around on a ground-ball single up the middle by freshman Paschal Petrongolo, who had entered as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and delivered an RBI single that tied things.

"I hadn't been in a game for a while," said Petrongolo, who had not played for 12 straight days due to a wrist injury. "I just went up there trying to simplify it. Just see the ball, hit the ball."

Southeast, which did not have a hit after the fifth inning, still had a chance to force extra innings when junior first baseman Matt Tellor drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth off sophomore closer Travis Stout.

Junior pinch-runner John Logan Zink was sacrificed to second and advanced to third on a two-out wild pitch before the game ended.

Stout struck out the final two batters to nail down his 13th save of the season.

"We really are that type of team," Petrongolo said of JSU's record in close games. "We never give up."

The Redhawks were outhit 15-11.

Burridge, sophomore third baseman Andy Lennington, freshman right fielder Clayton Evans and freshman second baseman Branden Boggetto all had two hits for Southeast.

Boggetto's two-run homer in the second inning, his third home run of the season, was part of a three-run outburst that put Southeast up 3-0.

Burridge, who entered the day with three RBIs all season, doubled that by driving in a career-high three runs.

"Alex played an outstanding game tonight," Bieser said.

Burridge had an RBI single in the second inning and his two-RBI single capped Southeast's five-run fifth inning that opened up an 8-4 lead. Both hits came with two outs.

"I was feeling good at the plate. I had a couple of two-out opportunities," Burridge said. "I was just trying to do what I could to help the team."

Southeast senior left-hander Zack Smith, who didn't figure into the decision, recorded his second straight solid start.

Smith allowed six runs, three earned, and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out three and did not issue a walk. He was hurt by the Redhawks' only error that led to three unearned runs during JSU's four-run third inning that wiped out Southeast's early 3-0 lead.

"Zack pitched pretty well," Bieser said. "That was a huge turning point in the third inning when they should have only had one run."

Hurst (2-1), Southeast's third and final pitcher who came on for the ninth inning, suffered the loss after giving up his first earned run in OVC play this season. He had allowed just one earned run in 20 2/3 innings all year.

While Southeast's bullpen, which has been strong most of the year, faltered -- senior Tony Zerrusen was charged with two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings after relieving Smith -- JSU's bullpen continued its season-long dominance.

Three relievers combined to limit Southeast to two hits and one run over 4 2/3 innings. They struck out seven as JSU hurlers combined for 12 strikeouts.

"Our bullpen has bee unreal all year," Case said.

Blanchard, who also plays quarterback for the JSU football team, had three hits.