Southeast Missouri State baseball team drops two of three to Morehead State

~ The Southeast baseball team lost Friday and split a doubleheader Saturday

Southeast Missourian

A long day of baseball for Southeast Missouri State ended with a tough defeat and an Ohio Valley Conference series loss.

Host Morehead State scored three eighth-inning runs -- all unearned after a leadoff error -- to break a tie and post an 11-8 win in Saturday's nightcap of a doubleheader.

"We had a lot of opportunities offensively and left a lot of runners on base," said first-year Southeast interim coach Steve Bieser, lamenting the fact Southeast stranded 14 runners, including the bases loaded in the seventh and eighth innings.

The Redhawks had a runner on third with one out in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings but failed to bring any of them home.

"We've got to do a better job of executing when we get in those situations," Bieser said.

Southeast won Saturday's first game 10-5 after MSU captured Friday's series opener 4-2.

The Redhawks fell to 12-13 overall and 4-5 in OVC play. The Eagles are 9-15 and 4-5.

The squads were scheduled to play single games Friday, Saturday and today, but a forecast for inclement weather in Morehead, Ky., forced Saturday's twin bill that began at noon and didn't end until about 6:30 p.m.

Southeast, after managing just five hits Friday, banged out 31 hits Saturday, including 18 in the opener to tie a season high. MSU had seven hits Friday and 22 on Saturday.

Junior first baseman Matt Tellor had a monster first game Saturday, going 4 for 6 with two home runs, a double, three RBIs and four runs scored. He leads Southeast with five homers.

Tellor's two-run shot in the fifth inning forged a 4-4 tie. He led off the seventh inning, which started 5-5, with a double and scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single by sophomore second baseman Jason Blum. Sophomore Dalton Hewitt's pinch-hit RBI single made it 7-5.

Tellor's solo blast in the eighth inning put Southeast up 8-5.

Blum and sophomore catcher Alex Burridge each went 3 for 5. Junior center fielder Cole Bieser went 3 for 6

Junior left fielder Derek Gibson added two hits and two RBIs. His two-run ninth-inning single gave Southeast breathing room at 10-5.

Senior left-hander Zack Smith allowed eight hits and five runs, three earned, in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked one.

Southeast's bullpen then fired off 3 2/3 scoreless innings.

Freshman Tyler Thomas (1-0) received his first collegiate victory as he retired the final two batters in the sixth inning after relieving Smith with a 5-5 score.

Junior left-hander Skylar Cobb recorded an out in the seventh inning before senior Tony Zerrusen worked 1 2/3 scoreless, one-hit innings. Senior Bobby Hurst finished by striking out the side in the ninth inning.

Southeast led 3-0 after one inning of the nightcap and 5-3 after two innings. All five of the Redhawks' runs were unearned.

The Eagles erased a 7-3 deficit with a four-run fourth inning. Southeast went back ahead 8-7 in the seventh inning before MSU answered with the tying run in the bottom of the frame.

MSU then surged ahead for good in the eighth inning. The leadoff error -- Southeast's only error of the contest -- a two-out single and a walk loaded the bases before Chris Robinson delivered a three-run triple off Hurst.

Gibson and sophomore third baseman Andy Lennington each went 3 for 5. Lennington doubled twice and had two RBIs. Hewitt and sophomore DH Ryan Barnes had two hits apiece. Blum added two RBIs.

Freshman left-hander Alex Winkelman lasted just 3 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and seven runs.

Senior Trevor Kill held the Eagles in check, allowing four hits and one run in 3 1/3 innings.

"I thought he threw the ball very well," Bieser said.

Three relievers worked the eighth inning. Zerrusen (0-2), who was on the mound for the leadoff error, was charged with the loss.

Friday's highlight for Southeast was Lennington getting two triples, tying the school single-game record that has been done six times, most recently in 2003. Lennington leads the OVC with four triples.

MSU's Blake Smith and Southeast sophomore left-hander Will Spitzfaden hooked up in a pitcher's duel.

Smith (1-2) went a career-high 8 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and two runs. He struck out two and walked three.

Spitzfaden (2-2) fired his second complete game. He allowed four runs and seven hits while striking out three and walking two.

MSU, which never trailed, scored all its runs on three homers. A solo shot by Drew Williams with two outs in the seventh inning broke a 1-1 tie. Alan Mocahabee's two-run blast in the eighth inning made it 4-1.

The Redhawks threatened in the ninth inning, getting a two-out RBI triple by Lennington to make it 4-2 and having runners on first and third before a strikeout ended the game.

Southeast scored its other run in the fifth inning. Lennington led off with a triple, and Barnes tied the contest with an RBI single.

Gibson matched Lennington with two hits. Gibson finished the series 7 for 14 while Lennington wound up 6 for 14.

Southeast returns to action Wednesday with a 3 p.m. nonconference game at Missouri State.