Redhawks rally to earn split with Jacksonville State

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- Southeast Missouri State, on the verge of dropping both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, rallied late in the nightcap to salvage a split.

The Redhawks exploded for six runs in the top of the sixth inning to wipe out a four-run deficit and capture the seven-inning contest 8-6.

Host Jacksonville State, the defending Ohio Valley Conference regular-season champion, won the nine-inning opener 9-3.

Southeast (12-16, 4-4) and JSU (14-17, 4-4) will close out their three-game series at 1 p.m. today with a nine-inning contest.

Things looked bleak for the Redhawks as they entered the sixth inning of the nightcap behind 6-2 and having had just one hit since the first inning against Jon Clements. JSU's starter had allowed two unearned runs in the opening frame and then blanked Southeast.

But, after the first batter in the sixth was retired by Clements, the Redhawks broke loose.

Aaron Rave singled, followed by walks to Phillip Riley and Dustin Pritchett that loaded the bases.

Pinch-hitter Asif Shah scored all three runners with a double, making the score 6-5.

JSU turned to its closer, OVC saves leader Lee Drinkard, who promptly recorded the second out but then gave up a tying RBI single to Omar Padilla and a go-ahead RBI single to Jordan Payne. Levi Olson followed with an RBI double that knocked out Drinkard and completed the rally.

Southeast starter Anthony Maupin, given a reprieve by his offense, recovered to finish off a complete game by holding JSU scoreless over the final two innings.

Maupin (3-3) allowed 11 hits, with four strikeouts and two walks.

Redhawks lost opener

In the first game, Southeast committed two errors that helped the Gamecocks score three unearned runs.

The Gamecocks wiped out a 2-1 deficit and went ahead for good with a three-run fifth against starter Jamie McAlister. Two of the runs in that inning were unearned.

McAlister (4-5) allowed eight hits and seven runs, four earned, in 6 1/3 innings. He had four strikeouts and one walk.

Olson, the Redhawks' senior catcher who has been their hottest hitter lately, went 4-for-5 in the opener, after he had three hits during Wednesday's win over SIU.

Padilla added two of Southeast's nine first-game hits and came back with two more hits in the nightcap as the Redhawks finished that contest with 10 hits. Rave also had two second-game hits.

JSU had 21 hits in the doubleheader, led by Clay Whittemore's 6-for-9 performance.

Donovan Hand, last season's OVC freshman of the year, won the opener. Hand (4-3) allowed five hits and no earned runs in six innings, with nine strikeouts and three walks.