Redhawks prep for OVC tourney with sweep of IPFW

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team got its final tune-up for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament started on the right foot Friday with a sweep of a doubleheader against host IPFW in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The Redhawks opened the three-game series with a 6-3 win over the Mastodons in Game 1, then pulled off a comeback in Game 2 for a 9-7 win.

The games originally were slated for Thursday and Friday, but rain canceled first-day action, necessitating a doubleheader Friday.

A notable feat during the doubleheader was Southeast senior first baseman Matt Tellor becoming the school's all-time single-season RBI leader. He had three RBIs in the opener and four on the day to raise his season total to 70.

In the first game, Southeast held a 3-0 lead after the first 5 1/2 innings before IPFW third baseman Kristian Gayday hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to make it a one-run ballgame.

The Mastadons erased the Redhawks' advantage in the seventh. Second baseman Greg Kaiser reached on a fielding error by third baseman Andy Lennington, was bunted to second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout to second.

Southeast regained its lead in the eighth when right fielder Dalton Hewitt singled to drive in left fielder Derek Gibson, who had drawn a walk, advanced to second on a balk and reached third on a groundout.

Tellor extended the Redhawks' lead and broke the school's single-season RBI record in the ninth.

Second baseman Jason Blum and center fielder Cole Bieser both reached on two-out singles and scored on Tellor's single to center for a 6-3 lead.

The two RBIs gave him 69 on the season, which broke Brian Schaefer's record of 67 set in 1995.

Starter Alex Winkelman improved to 5-2. He pitched seven innings, allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits. He struck out four and walked one.

Alex Siddle earned his first save of the season. He pitched two hitless innings, striking out three and walking one.

IPFW's Ryan Wells (3-2) took the loss. He pitched six innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.

In Game 2 the Redhawks spotted IPFW four runs in the third inning.

Southeast pulled within one-run in the fifth on a two-out RBI single from Tellor that scored third baseman Nolan Fisher.

Cole Ferguson then got a base hit with the bases loaded to score Bieser and Tellor.

The Redhawks knotted it 4-4 in the seventh. Tellor singled and scored on a Hewitt RBI groundout.

In the eighth, Fisher started things off with a double down the left-field line. He was bunted to third and scored on a Blum single to give the Redhawks their first lead of the game. Bieser then doubled to score Blum and make it 6-4.

IPFW responded in their half of the inning. After a one-out single and double, catcher Steve Lowden scored on a groundout. A walk and stolen base put runners in scoring position with two outs. Both runs scored on a single from center fielder Malcolm White to put the Mastadons up 7-6.

Shorstop Andy Lack doubled to right center in the ninth to score Hewitt and John Logan Zink and put the Redhawks up by a run.

Lack later scored the final run on an RBI sacrifice bunt from Alex Burridge.

Brady Wright pitched 1 1/3 innings and did not allow a run to improve to 3-0. He gave up one hit and struck out one batter.

Starter Travis Hayes pitched six innings and gave up four earned runs on eight hits. He walked two and had five strikeouts.

IPFW's Cody O'Neal (0-2) took the loss.