Seventh inning dooms Southeast Missouri State baseball team

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team had several strong performances Saturday, including by two of the squad's numerous youngsters.

But one nightmarish inning and IPFW's strong pitching doomed the host Redhawks.

IPFW, which is located in Fort Wayne, Ind., scored all its runs in the seventh inning to win 6-4 and even the three-game series.

The Redhawks (2-4) and Mastodons (2-3) will play the rubber match at 1 p.m. today at Capaha Field.

"One inning killed us," Southeast redshirt freshman left fielder Jason Blum said.

IPFW players Malcolm White, left, Steve Danielak and Kristian Gayday celebrate at the plate after they scored on a hit and error by teammate Shane Trevino during the seventh inning Saturday at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

Southeast led 1-0 until the fateful seventh inning that started with three straight walks by junior college transfer Michael Patman, who is among 21 newcomers on Southeast's 34-player roster.

Patman, who entered the game in the seventh, was done for the day after the walks. He gave way to juco transfer Trevor Kill.

Shane Trevino greeted Kill with a single to right field. He was credited with two RBIs on the play and a third run scored when the ball was misplayed.

Trevino went to third base. He still was there with two outs when Kill hit a batter and then was called for a balk, which allowed Trevino to score.

A double, another walk and a single completed the six-run uprising that featured three of IPFW's four hits on the day.

Southeast Missouri State's Derek Gibson slides into third base with a triple against IPFW during the fifth inning Saturday.

"The pitches were competitive. They weren't quite there," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said about several close deliveries. "That set the table."

The Redhawks made things interesting when they finally got to IPFW junior left-hander Jason Kalber in the bottom of the seventh.

Southeast, which was held to just two hits through six innings, got two singles and then Blum's first collegiate home run, a three-run shot to left field that made it 6-4.

"It was a fastball in. I was just looking to put it in play and get a run across," said Blum, a graduate of Valle Catholic High School in Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

Blum drove in all four Southeast runs. The first came on a fifth-inning single. He went 3 for 3 after being hitless in his previous nine at-bats.

Southeast Missouri State third baseman Trenton Moses, who graduated from Advance High School, snags a ground ball before throwing to first base to retire an IPFW baserunner during the second inning Saturday.

"It felt good, especially after an 0 for 9 drought," said Blum, who raised his average from .188 to .316.

Sophomore Derek Gibson, who was 0 for 2 in his career before Saturday, was Southeast's other hitting star on a light offensive day that saw the Redhawks manage just seven hits.

Gibson went 2 for 3, including a triple.

"It feels good to get the first one out of the way," Gibson said.

Gibson is a graduate of North County High School in Bonne Terre, Mo., who came to Southeast in 2009 as a quarterback. He joined the Southeast baseball program in 2010 and redshirted. He then decided to quit football after two years. He never played in a game.

Gibson received one at-bat last season as a redshirt freshman and got one at-bat Friday before making his first career start Saturday, which came at DH.

"I'm thankful for the opportunity," Gibson said. "It was nice to have a fall I could devote to baseball. It's good to finally focus on one sport."

Hogan believes Gibson, who can play several positions, has plenty of potential.

"Derek is so talented. He's a big, strong guy who runs well," Hogan said. "He's got a deep love for baseball. He's an up and comer."

Saturday's other Southeast highlight was the pitching of junior Shae Simmons, a Scott City High School graduate.

Simmons, primarily a reliever the past two years, has moved into a starting role. His second start of the season and fifth of his career was dazzling.

The hard-throwing Simmons fired six shutout innings. He allowed just one hit, struck out nine and walked three while throwing 96 pitches.

"I felt great. I actually could have went longer, but with the pitch count and it being early, I came out," Simmons said.

Simmons, the 2010 OVC freshman of the year, had five saves each of the last two seasons. His 10 career saves rank second all-time at Southeast.

"It's hard to say which I like better," Simmons said about starting or relieving. "The end of the game is always fun, but starting is also fun."

Kalber (2-0) matched Simmons before running out of gas after throwing 102 pitches. He struck out eight and walked two.

"Their left-hander was excellent. He really held us down," Hogan said. "Shae did a great job. It was just a pitcher's duel. You have to tip your hat to both guys."

Travis Reboulet relieved Kalber and retired the final two batters in the seventh. He finished the win to earn a well-deserved save.

Southeast threatened in the ninth by putting two runners on with two outs, but the rally died there.

"We did make it interesting. We just fell short," Hogan said.

Kill bounced back from the seventh by firing off perfect eighth and ninth innings. He finished with five strikeouts.

Southeast lost starting senior catcher Jesse Tierney to a finger injury in the second inning. Hogan said he expects Tierney to miss at least a couple of games.

Moses nominated

Southeast All-American senior third baseman Trenton Moses has been chosen as one of 30 nominees for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The recipient of the award will be announced at the NCAA College World Series in June.

The award, which stands for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School," focuses on the complete student-athlete on and off the field. Each candidate was chosen based on four criteria: classroom, character, community and competition.

The 30 candidates will be narrowed down to 10 halfway through the regular season. The final 10 then will be placed on the official ballot, which will be distributed to media, coaches and fans nationwide.