Southeast Missouri State baseball team drops first two games to Thoroughbreds

Murray State ended a 12-game OVC losing streak and extended Southeast's to six games

Southeast Missourian

The Murray State baseball team snapped a 12-game Ohio Valley Conference losing streak Friday at the expense of visiting Southeast Missouri State, winning 4-0.

MSU didn't stop there.

The Thoroughbreds also beat the Redhawks 5-4 on Saturday, scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning -- the winning tally coming in on a bizarre error.

Southeast, which has lost six straight OVC games and seven of its last eight, is assured of dropping its third consecutive OVC series.

The Redhawks will try to avoid their second straight conference series sweep in today's 1 p.m. finale in Murray, Ky.

Southeast is 21-27 overall and 12-14 in OVC play to remain sixth in the 11-team conference. The top six finishers qualify for the OVC tournament.

MSU is 20-27 overall and an eighth-place 8-15 in league play.

Saturday's back-and-forth affair saw Southeast break a 3-3 tie with a run in the top of the ninth inning as junior Derek Gibson scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch.

Senior closer Bobby Hurst, who struck out the final batter of the eighth inning, issued a walk to Dylan Wheeler leading off the bottom of the ninth.

Wheeler was sacrificed to second and scored the tying run on a single by Paul Ritzheimer. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases.

Brandon Eggenschwiler hit a ground ball to freshman shortstop Branden Boggetto, who threw home to sophomore catcher Alex Burridge for a force out.

It appeared as if Burridge was trying to fire a throw to first base but got his feet tangled up with Ritzheimer, who had slid into the plate. The ball was dislodged from Burridge's hand by the contact and bounced into right field as the winning run scored on Southeast's only error of the day.

Southeast coach Steve Bieser, who argued with the umpires that Burridge had been interfered with, lamented the Redhawks' missed opportunities. They stranded 10 runners.

"I don't want to complain about the umpires. We left a lot out there today," said Bieser, whose squad has lost its last seven one-run decisions.

Southeast outhit MSU 10-8, although the Redhawks were probably fortunate to get any of their runs. Two scored on wild pitches while two came in on a two-out, two-RBI double by sophomore Jason Blum as his routine fly ball to right field fell after being lost in the sun.

Blum doubled twice while sophomore Dalton Hewitt also had two hits for the Redhawks.

Sophomore left-hander Will Spitzfaden had a solid start, allowing three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one.

Senior Tony Zerrusen pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings before Hurst (3-3) took the loss.

The Redhawks, trailing 2-1, took a 3-2 lead on Blum's two-run fourth-inning double. MSU tied it in the seventh before the wild finish.

Southeast managed just three singles and had only four baserunners in Friday's loss, which marked the Redhawks' second shutout of the season. Both have come within the past month.

Junior Matt Tellor produced two of Southeast's hits, including a wind-blown pop fly that fell on the pitcher's mound. Burridge had the other hit.

Brock Downey, normally MSU's closer who made his first collegiate start, allowed two hits over the first four innings. The sophomore left-hander struck out three and walked none.

Cameron Finch, MSU's junior ace, finished up and got the win. Finch (5-3) allowed one hit over the last five innings, striking out three, walking none and hitting a batter. He retired the final 11 batters of the game.

Southeast senior left-hander Zack Smith took the loss despite firing his second complete game of the season.

Smith (2-5) allowed two earned runs in eight innings. He gave up 10 hits -- including three that never left the infield -- struck out eight and didn't walk a batter.

The Thoroughbreds used four hits -- three infield singles, including two bunts -- to score the only run they would need in the third inning.

MSU rounded out the scoring with a three-run fifth on three hits. Two of the runs were unearned thanks to a pair of Southeast errors.

"I thought Zack did an outstanding job. We've got to make a couple of plays that were ruled hits," Bieser said. "Give their pitchers credit. They basically came out and dominated us."