RUN IN 12TH GIVES INDIANS KEY WIN

Two costly errors in the field by the University of Tennessee-Martin helped Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team control the first eight innings.

Then up 4-1 in the ninth, Southeast returned the favor and allowed the Skyhawks to score three runs and send the game into extra innings.

Obviously not pleased with watching the control of the game treated like a hot potato, Southeast's Lance Craft doubled to lead off the 12th inning and eventually scored, and the Indians won their key Ohio Valley Conference duel before 555 at Capaha Park Sunday 5-4.

"I knew I had to go up there and try to get on base any way I could," said Craft, a sophomore leadoff hitter and perhaps the team's fastest player. "And fortunately I hit the ball well and got a double.

It was Southeast's final home game of the season and the most innings the Indians have played in a game this year. Southeast improved to 20-28 overall and 10-11 in the OVC, dropping UTM to 15-27 and 8-13.

The win snapped a five-game OVC losing streak in which Southeast fell from second to sixth place in the nine-team league. With Sunday's win, Southeast moved into a tie for fourth.

After a non-conference game Wednesday at Missouri, the Indians will conclude the regular season with an extremely important three-game series this weekend at Morehead State.

A sweep at Morehead would clinch a berth for Southeast into the six-team OVC Tournament, while being swept would end Southeast's season. Anything in between would put the Indians at the mercy of outcomes of other games around the league.

"It's in our hands," said Craft. "If we win that series (at Morehead) then we're going to be in the tournament, if we don't then we're not."

Southeast escaped the 11th after UTM loaded the bases and stranded all three. Then in the 12th, after Craft's leadoff double in his sixth at-bat of the day, Jeremy Johnson grounded out to move Craft to third with one out.

After the next batter, the OVC's leading hitter LaMonte Collier, was intentionally walked, pinch hitter Phil Warren, hitless on the year, grounded the ball to third baseman Brad Warmath, who fired home. When Craft slid into home, the ball was jarred lose of catcher Chad Pritchett, a former Kennett standout, and Craft was called safe.

"Every game is really important and our guys just hung in there," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan. "It just came down to a bang-bang play at the plate with Lance getting in there with a good, clean, hard slide."

Southeast scored a run in the fourth as Mike Miller singled, advanced on a single by Kyle Yount and scored on Steve Goodman's ground out.

The Indians extended their lead to 3-0 in the fifth as UTM's pitcher, Jody Fuller, threw what would have been an inning-ended double play ball into center, which the center fielder, Johnie Sanfratello, then bobbled and Scott Sullivan and Craft both scored on the two errors.

After UTM scored a run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 3-1, Southeast added a run in the seventh on another UTM error, its fourth of the game. After Sullivan singled and went to second on a wild pitch, Craft hit a shot to right and the right fielder, Skipper McGill, made an excellent diving catch. McGill attempted to toss the ball to center fielder Sanfratello, but the ball got away and Sullivan scored from second.

Southeast's Jason Swearingen, a junior who became the Indians' all-time leader in innings pitched Sunday with 245, pitched eight brilliant innings. But Swearingen lost it in the ninth as the Skyhawks led off the inning with three straight singles. Freshman Lanson DeBrock then entered the game and promptly walked the first batter to make the score 4-2.

After striking out the next batter for the inning's first out, McGill gained his first hit of the weekend to plate two runners to tie the game at 4-4. Dan Huesgen replaced DeBrock and coaxed two outs and the Skyhawks stranded the bases loaded.

Huesgen, a freshman, remained in the game, pitched 3 2/3 innings and won his first game as a Southeast player. After UTM's Fuller went 10 innings, Jay Lasley pitched the 11th, and Chad McDowell started the 12th and was the loser.

"Swearingen pitched a tremendous ballgame and then Huesgen came in and did a great job. He pitched great for us the whole weekend," said Hogan of his rookie hurler, who pitched seven scoreless innings covering two games of the weekend serie. "And their kid, Fuller, pitched a tremendous game."

The starting time for Southeast's make-up game at Missouri on Wednesday has yet to be determined.