Southeast Missouri State baseball team erupts on offense in road win over UT Martin

It took two days for the Southeast Missouri State baseball team to top its season-high in runs scored.

After scoring 18 runs against Harris-Stowe on Tuesday, the Redhawks opened their three-game Ohio Valley Conference road series against Tennessee Martin with a 19-6 victory on Thursday night.

The win puts the two-time defending conference champions at 15-8 on the season and 7-0 in conference. The only other time Southeast has gotten off to a 7-0 start was in 2009.

The Redhawks plated four runs in the top of the second on a two-run single by catcher Brian Lees and a two-run home run from right fielder Chris Osborne and never looked back.

The Skyhawks got on the board in the home half of the inning with a sacrifice fly to cut it to 4-1 but never got any closer.

Southeast went up 10-1 with a six-run third inning. First baseman Ryan Rippee drove in a pair of runs with a single. Lees and Osborne had back-to-back RBI singles. Lees scored when second baseman Trevor Ezell grounded out, and Osborne plated the final run of the frame when third baseman Hunter Leeper reached on an error by the third baseman.

UTM put up a run in the bottom of the fourth and sixth each.

The Skyhawks cut it to 10-2 an RBI single by shortstop Josh Hauser to score second baseman Mike Murphy, who led off the fourth with a base hit. Murphy, who went 4 for 5, tripled to start the sixth and scored on a groundout. Starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi, who picked up the win on the mound to improve to 5-1, issued a two-out walk before exiting after 5 2/3 innings. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits with four walks and eight strikeouts.

Righty Jacob Lawrence relieved him and struck out the first batter he faced to strand one and keep the Redhawks' lead 10-3.

Lawrence struck out two and allowed one hit in a scoreless seventh.

Each team added three apiece in the eighth. Second baseman Branden Boggetto hit a two-out RBI single, advanced to second on a fielding error in center, moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on another wild pitch.

Rippee drew a walk and scored on a double by designated hitter Chris Caffrey.

Lawrence gave up back-to-back singles to start the eighth before issuing a one-out walk to load the bases.

An error by Boggetto allowed a run to score and keep the bases loaded. First baseman Nick Pribble drove in two more with a single to center to cut it to 13-6 before Lawrence got the final two batters to fly out.

Southeast tacked on six runs with two outs in the top of the ninth. Leeper singled and Gandolfo and Boggetto drew walks to load the bases.

Center fielder Dan Holst and Rippee were issued back-to-back walks to score two more before a two-run single by Caffrey.

Rippee scored on a wild pitch, and Lees drove in Caffrey for the final score.

Lawrence struck out the side in the bottom half. He allowed three earned runs on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

UTM starter Alan Rickman dropped to 0-1. He exited after two innings and allowed four earned runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. The Skyhawks used six relievers in the contest.

Every Southeast batter to step to the plate recorded at least one hit, as the Redhawks scattered 14 in the game. Boggetto and Caffrey each went 2 for 5, with Boggetto driving in one and scoring three times and Caffrey driving in three and scoring twice. Lees was 3 for 5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Osborne was 2 for 6 with three RBIs and two runs.

UTM dropped to 7-15 and 2-5 in conference with its fifth loss in a row.

The Redhawks and Skyhawks face off in Game 2 in Martin, Tennessee, at 6 p.m. today. The series finale is set for 3 p.m. Saturday.