Southeast Missouri State baseball team falls to Tennessee Tech in series opener

Tennessee Tech right fielder Kevin Strohschein powered the Golden Eagles to victory over the Southeast Missouri State baseball team on Friday night.

Strohschein, a freshman, went 4-for-4 and drove in five runs with a pair of home runs and a double to lead TTU to a 7-2 win in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Southeast dropped to 31-14 and 20-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference while TTU improved to 24-19 and 11-11 in conference.

The Redhawks, who were outhit 11-7 and stranded 10 baserunners, scored a run in the first and another in the ninth in their series opener vs. the Golden Eagles.

Trevor Ezell led off the game with a double, was bunted to third and scored on a groundout to give Southeast an early and short-lived 1-0 lead.

Starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi gave up back to back two-out singles in the home half of the first before Trevor Putzig doubled in Strohschein to tie it.

The Redhawks wouldn’t get another hit until Ezell singled to right center with one out in the top of the sixth. Branden Boggetto singled and Garrett Gandolfo was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but Chris Osborne fouled out to strand all three.

TTU took the lead for good in the bottom of the third. The first two Golden Eagles to come to the plate singled and a throwing error by third baseman Hunter Leeper loaded the bases with no outs. A wild pitch scored one and a two-run double by Strohschein made it 4-1 TTU.

Strohschein hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to extend the Golden Eagles’ lead to 6-1 and then led off the seventh with his team-leading 12th home run to give TTU a six-run advantage.

Daniel Costello hit a solo shot with two outs in the top of the ninth for the final score.

Ezell went 3-for-5 while Dan Holst went 2-for-4 and was the only other Redhawk with multiple hits.

Lucchesi (8-4) took the loss on the mound, allowing a season-high six runs (five earned) on 10 hits with three walks in six innings of work. He recorded 10 strikeouts.

Reliever Jake Busiek allowed one earned run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts in the seventh. Matthew Wade pitched a scoreless eighth. He did not allow a hit and walked one batter.

TTU starter Michael Wood improved to 4-3 with the pitching victory. He went 7 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run on four hits. He walked two and struck out nine. Kit Fowler pitched the final 1 2/3, allowing one earned run on three hits. He walked a batter and struck out a batter.

Game 2 of the three-game series is set for 1 p.m. Saturday.