Southeast Missouri State baseball team exacts revenge vs. Billikens

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team wrapped up a stretch of nine straight road games with a payback win.

Southeast rallied past host Saint Louis University 6-4 on Wednesday night, avenging a 14-8 loss to the Billikens on March 22 in Cape Girardeau.

The Redhawks, who have won three straight, went 6-3 on their road swing. They are 19-14, matching their season high of five games over .500.

Southeast scored two first-inning runs, then did not cross the plate the next five innings, which allowed SLU (20-14) to grab a 4-2 lead.

The Redhawks tied it in the seventh inning. One run scored on a throwing error and the other came in on a pinch-hit RBI single by senior Brett Russell.

That's the way things stood until the ninth, when Southeast scored twice to take the lead for good.

Senior Louie Haseltine led off with a single and redshirt freshman pinch-runner Cole Bieser was retired as junior Kenton Parmley reached on a fielder's choice.

Junior Taylor Heon singled and Parmley stopped at second. Parmley then stole third and continued home on a throwing error. Russell's two-out RBI single brought home Heon.

Senior left-hander Logan Mahon, who entered play with an ERA of 1.82, came on in the bottom of the ninth with one on and one out.

Mahon retired both batters he faced, ending things on a strikeout, to notch his fourth save.

Senior Corey Harness, also impressive out of the bullpen this year, recorded the victory and improved to 2-0. He worked 1 1/3 hitless innings.

Sophomore Shae Simmons, from Scott City, got the game to Harness and Mahon by retiring all four batters he faced.

Senior Nick Thomas started and fired off three scoreless innings. He wound up allowing seven hits and three runs in four-plus innings.

Junior Ryan Prickett, the first of six Southeast relievers, worked a scoreless inning.

Southeast had 13 hits, led by Russell, Haseltine, senior Tim Rupp and senior Nick Harris with two apiece.

Harris, who had been sidelined with a knee injury after missing most of last year with an elbow injury, got a pinch-hit at-bat late during Tuesday's win at SIU for his first appearance in a game since March 1. He started at DH on Wednesday.

The Redhawks did not commit an error and turned in several defensive gems.

Heon, who played second base, saved at least one run in the third inning when he made a diving catch of a line drive with two on and two out.

Rupp made a diving stop to his left at third base and threw to first for the out in the eighth inning.

Southeast begins an eight-game homestand Saturday with an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader against Tennessee-Martin.