Redhawks hammer five HRs to complete sweep of UTM

~ Southeast improved to 3-0 in the OVC with an 18-8 victory.

No late-game magic was needed for Southeast Missouri State to finish off a series sweep of Tennessee-Martin.

After rallying to win both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, the Redhawks crushed the visiting Skyhawks 18-8 on Sunday afternoon.

As a result, the Redhawks have their first 3-0 Ohio Valley Conference start since 2003.

"It's really good for the team to get off to this kind of start," senior Omar Padilla said. "Our confidence right now is very high."

Considering the way the Redhawks performed Sunday at Capaha Field, that's not surprising.

Southeast received solid pitching and defense while breaking out with a season-high five home runs -- four of which came during an 11-run sixth inning that turned a close game into a rout.

The Redhawks, winning for the eighth time in their last nine games, improved to 15-7 overall.

"We played really well. We hit on all cylinders today," said coach Mark Hogan, who posted his 370th win in his 13th season at Southeast. He moved within three victories of tying the late Joe Uhls as the all-time winningest coach in program history. "It was maybe our best overall performance this year."

And it allowed the Redhawks to return the favor to UTM (6-15), which began OVC play last year by sweeping a series from visiting Southeast. The Skyhawks won all three games by one run.

"There's a long way to go, but to start out 3-0 is huge," Hogan said. "I thought today was a strong statement from us. It's real gratifying."

While Southeast's offensive explosion wound up stealing the show, the Redhawks' starting pitching continued to shine.

Freshman left-hander Josh Syberg hurled six strong innings, allowing six hits and two runs, with three strikeouts and no walks.

Syberg, who improved to 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA, is tied for the OVC lead in wins and leads the conference with 38 strikeouts in 33 innings.

"My arm felt fresh and I kept the ball down," Syberg said.

The Redhawks had 14 hits as their batting average continued to climb. A little more than a week ago, Southeast was hitting .232 as a team. That figure is now .278.

"We've been hitting the ball, and our pitching was good again," sophomore Matt Wagner said.

Wagner had one of the Redhawks' five homers, a three-run shot during the 11-run sixth inning that turned a tense 4-2 affair into a 15-2 laugher.

Padilla, senior Asif Shah and freshman Nick Harris all had two-run shots in the sixth. Shah and Harris are tied for second in the OVC with four homers apiece.

"That inning was something," Hogan said.

The other Southeast home run on the day came from freshman catcher Jim Klocke and got the Redhawks off to a strong start, after they trailed most of the way in both games Saturday.

After Padilla led off the first inning with a walk, Klocke belted his first collegiate home run as he gave his high school classmate Syberg an early 2-0 lead.

"It felt really good," said Klocke, who teamed with Syberg last year to lead Vianney High School in St. Louis to the Class 4 state championship.

Padilla, Klocke, Harris, senior Dustin Pritchett and sophomore Matt Wulfers all had two hits for Southeast. Pritchett matched Wagner with three RBIs.

Senior Robby Moore extended his hitting streak to seven games.

"It was a good weekend for us," Wagner said. "In any conference you want to get off to a strong start."

Southeast will take a break from OVC play as Freed-Hardeman visits Capaha Field for a two-game series, with contests at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

Freed-Hardeman, an NAIA team from Henderson, Tenn., is 19-15.