Redhawks rout OVC leader

It hasn't been a very enjoyable season for Southeast Missouri State, but there were smiles all around Sunday as the Redhawks posted their most lopsided win this year while also reaching season-high totals for runs and hits.

Southeast claimed just its second Ohio Valley Conference series victory in seven attempts by routing first-place Morehead State 16-4 at sunny Capaha Field.

"Where's that been all year?" wondered a grinning Southeast coach Mark Hogan, who has had little to smile about for much of the campaign. "It was a fabulous performance by us."

The Redhawks (18-28, 9-12) remained in a seventh-place tie with Eastern Illinois in the 10-team OVC, one game behind Samford as the three battle for the sixth and final spot in the OVC Tournament. There are six conference games left.

"We really needed this game to even have any chance to make the tournament," said freshman first baseman James Clayton, who had his first four-hit game with the Redhawks. "We came out fired up."

Morehead State (26-21, 14-6) dropped two of three in the series, but the Eagles still remained in first place in the OVC, one-half game ahead of Austin Peay and Jacksonville State.

"They have a really good club, and I can see why they've had a good season," Hogan said. "It was a must game for us, there was a lot of pressure on us, and we came through with one of our best performances of the season."

The Redhawks banged out 18 hits.

"It was by far the best offensive performance we've had," Hogan said. "Not that you expect to score 16 runs every game, but this is more like what I thought we'd do going into the season."

Clayton, continuing his solid rookie campaign, had hits in his first four plate appearances -- including two doubles -- and finished 4-for-6, along with three runs scored and two runs driven in. He is batting .287 and is second on the team with 10 doubles.

Sophomore outfielder Brent Lawson, who had a strong freshman season but has struggled at the plate most of this year -- like many of the Redhawks -- continued his recent surge by going 3-for-5 with three runs scored. He had six hits in the series and is now batting .265 after being well under .200 for much of the campaign.

"I was struggling but I feel pretty good now," Lawson said. "I worked on some things with [assistant] coach [Scott] Southard, looked at some tape, and I think I've got it straightened out now. We really needed this win."

Senior third baseman Eric Horstman also continued his recent surge by going 3-for-4, with two runs scored and two RBIs. Horstman, who had six hits in the series, has his team-leading average up to .343. He has a 16-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 38 consecutive games.

Junior Jordan Payne, who has played a variety of positions this season, went 2-for-5 with four runs scored. Payne filled in at shortstop for Ernie Bracamonte, who suffered a hamstring injury during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader and could be out for a while.

Senior Brady Noll, normally a backup catcher who was inserted into left field for the first time Sunday, also went 2-for-5 and had two RBIs.

Senior second baseman Bo Jenkins had three RBIs, and junior catcher Levi Olson added two RBIs.

All that offense was a welcome sight to junior left-hander Derek Herbig (4-2).

Herbig, given a solid early cushion by Southeast's five-run second inning, worked a season-high eight innings. He allowed eight hits and two runs, with six strikeouts and five walks.

"It was great to see all those runs. It makes my job so much easier," Herbig said. "This was definitely a must win. Hopefully this will give us momentum."

Said Hogan: "Derek really neutralized a fabulous hitting club. I was really, really pleased with the way he threw."

Morehead State, the OVC's highest-scoring team, had 11 hits, but many of those came late after the game was already out of reach. Lance Seasor went 3-for-4 and finished the series with seven hits.

After breaking on top with five runs in the second, the Redhawks never looked back. Leading 5-1, Southeast got one in the fourth, four in the fifth and two in the sixth to go up 12-1.

A four-run eighth made it 16-2. The Eagles scored two ninth-inning runs off Andy Johnson, but the Redhawks still easily had their biggest margin of victory this year, the previous high being a pair of seven-run wins.

The Redhawks had so much fun for a change that senior pitcher Bill Clayton -- who has thrown just 1 1/3 innings this year after offseason surgery -- was sent up to pinch-hit in the eighth inning. He delivered a two-run single in the only at-bat of his Southeast career.

"That was awesome," said James Clayton, Bill's younger brother.

As was the Redhawks' performance overall. Now the key, said Hogan, is to keep it going. Southeast is off until Saturday's double-header at Tennessee Tech to begin a three-game OVC series.

"We've had some big wins where we haven't been able to capitalize on the momentum," Hogan said. "We'll find out this weekend."