Southeast Missouri State baseball team opens season with pair of 2-1 losses at Lamar

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team launched its 2016 season over the weekend against Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and thus far has nothing but a pair of 2-1 losses in the three-game series.

Lamar scored two runs in the third inning of its season-opening win Friday, then plated a run in the bottom of the 10 inning for a walk-off win Saturday to improved to 2-0.

Southeast (0-2) will try to salvage the final game of the series at 1 p.m. today despite having outhit the Cardinals 13-10 over the two games.

The Redhawks have yet to hold their first lead of the season.

In Saturday's game, Lamar broke out on top in the bottom of the first inning when Jacoby Middleton singled, took second on a walk and scored on a single by Reid Russell off Southeast junior starter Clay Chandler, who was making his Redhawks debut.

"Clay shook off the nerves after the first inning and threw a gem of a game," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said in a press release. "He was able to keep Lamar hitters off balance all game and deserved to get a win today. We played solid defensively behind him and once again we had a chance to win a ballgame; however, our offense continues to sputter. We are having difficulty stringing consecutive good at bats together and put any pressure on the opposing pitching staff. Tomorrow's a new day and we will continue to make the necessary adjustments and changes to have a good offensive team."

The Redhawks at least got Chandler off the hook with their lone run in the top of the eighth when senior shortstop Branden Boggetto singled home junior catcher Brian Lees off reliever Brett Brown, who took over after starter Jayson McKinley pitched six shutout innings.

McKinley allowed four hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Chandler, a right-handed transfer from Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Illinois, finished with a no-decision after striking out 10 batters and yielding only two hits and two walks over eight innings.

"Chandler was magnificent against us," Lamar coach Jim Gilligan said in a press release. "When you throw that good, you deserve to get the win, but the same could be said for McKinley. Both of the starters didn't get their money's worth, but was just another well-played game."

Justin Murphy (0-1) relieved Chandler and surrendered one run and three hits over 1 2/3 innings. Murphy gave up a one-out single to Bryndan Arredondo with two out in the 10th inning. Arredondo took second on a groundout by Chaneng Varela, then scored when Brendan Satran singled down the third-base line on the first pitch he saw from Murphy.

Jimmy Johnson notched the win for Lamar, allowing two hits and striking out four over 2 2/3 innings.

Boggetto, Lees and senior Garrett Gandolfo both had a pair of hits for Southeast, which outhit the Cardinals 8-5.

Southeast committed the game's only error.

Both teams had five hits in Friday's season opener.

Joey Lucchesi, the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, took the loss in the opener despite a strong outing. Lucchesi, a senior left-hander, struck out nine batters over six innings, allowing four hits and walking three.

Lucchesi ran into trouble in the third inning, where the Cardinals used a walk, a balk and three hits to score their two runs. Stijn Van der Meer singled with one out with runners at first and third to give Lamar a 1-0 lead. Cutter McDowell later followed with a bases-loaded single to make it 2-0 against Lucchesi, who escaped further damage by striking out the next two batters.

Southeast scored its first run of the 2016 season in the top of the fifth when senior first baseman Ryan Rippee clubbed a two-out triple down the right-field line and scored on a wild pitch from Lamar starter Will Hibbs (1-0).

The Redhawks stranded the bases loaded in the seventh and left runners on second and third in the eighth.

Southeast senior reliever Jacob Lawrence yielded one hit and one walk over 1 2/3 innings, while senior Brady Wright struck out the only batter he faced.

"Tonight's game was a good ole fashion pitchers duel," Bieser said in a press release. "Joey Lucchesi had a little difficulty settling in early but did an outstanding job of pitching out of a major jam in the third to keep us in the game. We had our chances but we had too many strikeouts in key situations."

Three Lamar pitchers combined to strike out 13 Redhawks, with Hibbs leading the way with eight strikeouts over six innings. He allowed three hits and did not walk a batter.

Lamar starters have not walked a batter over 12 innings and the Redbirds yet to commit an error.

Enrique Oquendo did not allow a hit over the final 1 2/3 innings for the save. He struck our four batters and walked one.

Boggetto had two of the Redhawks' five hits.

McDowell had two of the Cardinals' five hits.