Redhawks work overtime for triumph; rain delays Hogan's pursuit of record

~ Southeast surrendered a five-run ninth-inning lead but pulled off a 6-5, 11-inning win for Hogan's 373rd victory.

MURRAY, Ky. -- Josh Parham acknowledged that it would have been easy for Southeast Missouri State's baseball players to hang their heads when they coughed up a five-run, ninth-inning lead.

But that's not the way the Redhawks have operated during this resurgent season -- and they weren't about to start Saturday.

Murray State's five-run rally in its last regulation at-bat was nothing more than a speed bump for the visiting Redhawks, who regrouped to win 6-5 in 11 innings.

"It would have been real easy to go ahead and shut it down after giving up five in the ninth," said Parham, Southeast's senior left-hander from Jackson High School who closed things out with three scoreless innings. "They had all the momentum, so to come back and win is real big."

The triumph, in the opener of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series, was Southeast's sixth straight victory and 11th in its past 12 games.

The Redhawks, who improved to 18-7 overall and 4-0 in OVC play, were denied the chance for a doubleheader sweep when the scheduled nightcap was rained out.

Southeast and Murray (5-18, 2-2) will play a pair of seven-inning games today beginning at noon.

"This is really big for us, and the momentum should carry over into tomorrow," said senior second baseman Omar Padilla, whose 11th-inning home run put the Redhawks ahead for good. "We'll feel real good when we come to the park."

Mark Hogan, who with the victory tied the late Joe Uhls as the winningest coach in Southeast baseball history, said the type of resolve the Redhawks displayed Saturday is what he has become accustomed to this year.

Southeast's 23-33 record last season -- its worst under 13th-year coach Hogan -- was marked by numerous close losses as the Redhawks could never consistently come up with big plays in the clutch.

But already this season, Southeast has pulled out three OVC wins in the late innings. Two of those victories were by one run, with another by two runs.

"Our club continues to show a lot of maturity," said Hogan, whose record at Southeast is 373-305-1. "We've talked about it before, but these are the kinds of games we lost a lot last year.

"It's super exciting to come back and win this way."

Seven shutout innings by junior right-hander Dustin Renfrow and strong early offense -- including a three-run third that featured a two-run homer by sophomore first baseman Matt Wagner and a solo shot by freshman third baseman Nick Harris -- had Southeast headed toward what looked like a routine win.

Leading 4-0, Renfrow ran out of gas in the eighth, but junior right-hander Ivan Nails retired three straight batters after the first two reached off Renfrow.

Southeast added another run -- nobody at the time realized how important it would be -- in the ninth as Padilla doubled and scored on a single by freshman catcher Jim Klocke.

Nails, who had been virtually untouchable in recent outings, carried that 5-0 advantage into the bottom of the ninth.

But all of a sudden the Thoroughbreds' bats came alive as they tied the contest with five runs on five hits, four allowed by Nails as he was charged with all the runs.

"I thought Nails made quality pitches," Hogan said. "They got a couple of bleeders, but they hit some balls hard and give them credit for hanging in there and coming back."

Neither squad scored in the 10th. With one out in the top of the 11th, Padilla's shot to left easily cleared the fence for his fourth home run of the season.

"I knew I hit it good, but I thought I might have hit it too high," Padilla said. "I was real happy when it went out."

The Redhawks weren't yet home free as Parham walked two with one out in the bottom of the 11th.

Southeast sophomore center fielder Daniel Schuh made a nice running catch for the second out and the game ended as third baseman Harris caught Jason Payton's line drive.

"Schuh made a nice catch, and then they really hit the ball hard on the last out," Hogan said.

Parham, who relieved Nails with nobody out in the ninth and allowed a single for the tying run to score -- it was charged to Nails -- did not allow a hit in the 10th or 11th. He got the win and improved to 3-2.

"He really kept the game under control for us," Hogan said.

In seven-plus innings, Renfrow allowed seven hits. He walked two and struck out two.

Renfrow, a junior college transfer, might be among the more tough-luck pitchers in the country so far. Although he leads the OVC with a 1.40 earned-run average, his record is just 2-0 as he has five no-decisions.

"Renfrow was wonderful again. He's been great all year," Hogan said. "He could easily be 6-0 or even 7-0. That's how well he's pitched. He gave us another great start."

Southeast was outhit 12-9. Padilla, Wagner, Harris and Klocke all had two hits for the Redhawks.

Harris' homer was his team-leading seventh of the season, while Wagner got his fifth as he has homered in four straight games.

"We have a lot of resiliency and we showed it again today," Padilla said. "It feels good to get a win in a game like this."

Tyler Owen went 4-for-4 to pace the Thoroughbreds. Senior second baseman Seth Hudson, a Cape Girardeau Central High School product, was 1-for-4.