Regular season ends with a thud

MOREHEAD, Ky. — The Southeast Missouri State baseball team will make its 14th consecutive appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, a league record.

But the Redhawks are not heading into next week's six-team event in Paducah, Ky., with momentum.

Southeast ended its regular season by dropping two of three games at Morehead State, capped by Saturday's 13-12, 10-inning defeat in which the Redhawks wasted a 12-8 ninth-inning lead.

The Redhawks, who split Friday's doubleheader with MSU, end the regular season 23-24 overall and a sixth-place 12-13 in the 10-team OVC.

Southeast, which clinched an OVC tournament berth Friday, will play third-seeded Austin Peay at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the opening round of the double-elimination event.

MSU (18-33, 8-19) already was locked into ninth place in the OVC entering Saturday.

But the Eagles made sure they ended the season on a positive note.

Trailing 12-8 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, MSU reached Southeast reliever Daniel Schuh for a pair of solo home runs sandwiched around an out.

Todd Strahlendorf relieved Schuh after Schuh allowed his second homer.

Strahlendorf issued a walk before recording a strikeout. He then walked two more batters to load the bases.

Justin Johnson, on a 1-2 count, singled to score two runs and tie things.

Freshman Brad LaBruyere, from Central High School, replaced Strahlendorf with runners on first and third and recorded the inning's final out.

After Southeast failed to score in the top of the 10th, the Eagles ended the contest in the bottom of the frame.

LaBruyere retired the first batter, then gave up a double to Michael Fear.

During an intentional walk to OVC home run leader Eric Allen, LaBruyere threw a wild pitch that moved Fear to third.

An intentional walk to Drew Lee loaded the bases, then LaBruyere walked Andrew Wertz on five pitches to force in the winning run. LaBruyere took the loss and fell to 2-1.

Southeast's pitching staff, which has struggled much of the season, combined to walk 12 MSU batters, 11 over the final six innings.

An MSU offense that entered the series last in the OVC in batting average (. 261) and runs scored (less than five per game) exploded for 35 hits and 29 runs in the three games. The Eagles had 19 hits Saturday.

Southeast's offense also was potent, producing 39 hits and 29 runs. The Redhawks had 15 hits Saturday.

Jim Klocke led Saturday's offensive attack by going 4-for-6 with a home run, a double and five runs batted in. His three-run homer in the seventh inning put the Redhawks ahead 12-8.

Klocke was 7-for-14 in the series with two homers and nine RBIs.

Also homering for Southeast was Tyrell Cummings, who got his team-leading 12th of the season, which ranks second in the OVC.

Cummings, a junior college transfer in his first year with the Redhawks, had two RBIs to give him 56 on the season, which ranks eighth on the program's single-season list.

Cummings, Justin Wheeler, Tony Spencer and freshman Trenton Moses, from Advance High School, all added two hits for the Redhawks. Wheeler was 7-for-12 in the series.

Allen had one of the Eagles' three homers Saturday, giving him four in the series and 17 for the season.

Southeast starter Ivan Nails allowed 10 hits and seven runs in 4 2/3 innings.

The only one of Southeast's six pitchers who didn't allow a run was Ryan Poole, who allowed one hit in three innings before Schuh took over to start the ninth.