Southeast losing streak hits five games

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- In the scope of a long college baseball season, a win or loss for either Southeast Missouri State or Southern Illinois might not seem all that important.

But the way the head coaches looked following Tuesday's game told a different story.

SIU's Dan Callahan was upbeat and smiling; Southeast's Mark Hogan was downcast and frowning.

That's because the host Salukis were able to snap a four-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory, while the Redhawks' season-high losing streak was extended to five.

So SIU (19-15) will head into this weekend's Missouri Valley Conference series against Wichita State with renewed confidence and vigor.

On the other hand, Southeast (14-15) will have to find a way to lift its spirits as the Redhawks welcome Ohio Valley Conference leader Samford for a weekend series.

"We needed a win in the worst way," said Callahan, whose squad was coming off an MVC series sweep at home against Bradley. "We lost two demoralizing games Friday and Saturday.

"We just needed something positive to happen."

Hogan felt the same way about his squad after the Redhawks suffered an OVC series sweep at Jacksonville State over the weekend.

Instead, Hogan saw the Salukis rally from a 4-0 deficit after 4 1/2 innings, thanks to four runs in the bottom of the fifth and the eventual winning run in the sixth.

Hogan lamented the fact that the same things have been burning the Redhawks during their current losing streak -- big innings by the opposition caused by poor pitching as Southeast squanders early leads.

Over its last five games, Southeast has allowed its opponents six innings of at least four runs.

Four of those big innings came at Jacksonville State as the Gamecocks rallied from early deficits of 6-1 and 4-0 in the first and third games.

"It's a one-inning game for us now. We did it over the weekend," Hogan said. "The problem is, we get the lead early, we relinquish it and then somebody shuts us down.

"It becomes a momentum thing, a psychological thing."

Hogan said Southeast pitchers repeatedly are being burned during the big innings when they are in favorable counts, which only adds to the frustration.

In Tuesday's contest, Ryan Poole -- making his first Southeast start after throwing 13 1/3 innings out of the bullpen -- carried a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth.

Impressive and able to work out of several jams to that point, Poole allowed consecutive one-out singles and walked a batter to load the bases.

Mark Kelly's two-run double got the Salukis going and knocked out Poole.

Andy Stephens from Scott City High School replaced Poole and balked in a run, after which Stephens allowed a game-tying single and another single before Lance Rhodes got out of the inning.

"We're breezing along, Poole's throwing great and before we can get somebody up, we've unraveled," Hogan said. "We just don't have anybody that can put the finger in the hole.

"This is a pitching problem. Not our defense. ... We had enough hits."

Not after the fifth inning, however, as SIU freshman left-hander Nick Rice held Southeast hitless and scoreless over the final four frames.

SIU scored the tie-breaking run in the sixth off Rhodes (0-3). Michael Finigan singled with one out, was balked to second and came home on Kelly's two-out single.

Nick Harris had three of Southeast's nine hits off starter Andrew Dunn.

Tyrell Cummings, the OVC leader in homers and RBIs, had two hits and two RBIs, giving him 40 on the season. Matt Wagner added two hits.

Southeast benefited from four early SIU errors to score three unearned runs.

"The way the first three innings evolved, I said this isn't going to be what we needed," said Callahan, whose squad lost 11-4 at Southeast last week. "But we hung in there, got some big hits and Rice did a really good job.

"A lot of times these mid-week games can be important for momentum."

It's something the Redhawks wish they had right now.

Things won't get any easier this weekend as OVC-leader Samford pays a visit. The teams will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday and meet again at 1 p.m. Sunday.