Redhawks Roundup: SEMO baseball falls to EIU 10-2

Southeast Missouri State (26-27, 14-8 OVC) entered its final series of the season needing to sweep Eastern Illinois (31-18, 11-11 OVC) in order to at least win a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship.

The Redhawks missed their chance on Thursday when the Panthers knocked in 15 hits to win 10-2 at Capaha Field. The Redhawks have now lost eight games in a row.

Senior starter Noah Niznik (6-6) took the loss after lasting 3.2 innings allowing six runs on eight hits with only two strikeouts. It is the second outing in a row in which Niznik has allowed six earned runs, the first time coming against UT Martin this past weekend.

"The last two weeks they've done a really good job on his offspeed pitches and had some really competitive takes and a really high pitch count," Redhawks head coach Andy Sawyers said. "They've had his pitches up early the last two weeks."

SEMO took an early lead in the second inning on an RBI single by Brett Graber. The Redhawks retook the lead at 2-1 in the third inning on an RBI double by Peyton Leeper.

The Panthers then scored five runs in the fourth inning to take complete control of the game. They also added two runs in the sixth and seventh inning to pad their lead.

Panthers starter Ky Hampton (7-2) took the win by allowing just two runs on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts over seven innings. The Redhawks went four innings without a hit until Chance Resetich doubled to center field in the bottom of the ninth.

"It's not like we were bad on offense for the first three innings," Sawyers said. "And there's no way that guy just suddenly got better in the middle of the game. We got worse once we fell behind. That's a toughness thing. That's a competitive thing and right now we're playing like front runners."

Game two of the series was moved up from 6 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday due to weather concerns. Collin Wilma will get the nod on the mound for the Redhawks.

__Track & Field__

Eight SEMO athletes will continue their season after qualifying for the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field First Round competitions.

SEMO will be represented by Clara Billing, Laila Hardin, Luke Hatfield-Jackson, Dylan Clark, Parker Feuerborn, Marshall Swadley, Justin Breault, and Poplar Bluff native Josia Kilgore.

The Redhawks will compete at the West First Round on May 24-27 in Sacramento, California. The qualifiers out of both the East and West regions will compete in the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships held June 7-10 in Austin, Texas.

__Softball__

SEMO first baseman Aubrie Shore was named to the 2023 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-Mideast Region Team on Thursday as a third-team selection.

Shore hit .347 with 14 runs, 41 hits, 10 doubles, seven home runs, and 33 RBI in 43 starts in a season that earned her Co-Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and First-Team All-OVC honors.

Shore led the Redhawks in home runs and RBI and was third in batting average. This season, she led the OVC with a .842 slugging percentage in league games.

The Redhawks won the OVC regular season championship but came up short in the conference tournament.

__Tennis__

The SEMO women's tennis team announced the signing of North Alabama transfer Juliette Talieu on Wednesday.

A native of Paris, France, Talieu played two seasons at UNA going 11-12 in singles play and 8-10 in doubles action over that span. She was on the top of the Lions' singles lineup last year, earning four of her victories in the No. 1 position, and was 3-2 between No. 1 and No. 2 doubles.

SEMO will be her third collegiate home. Talieu first spent her freshman year at South Alabama before transferring to UNA.