Southeast Missouri State baseball team pulls out win at Arkansas State

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team took advantage of shaky Arkansas State defense to rally for an 8-5 nonconference road victory Tuesday night.

Southeast scored four runs on only one hit in the top of the ninth inning, erasing a 5-4 deficit and beating the Red Wolves for just the third time in the past 11 meetings.

The Redhawks, who have won four of their last five, improved to 16-12. They are 3-1 so far during a stretch of nine consecutive road games.

ASU fell to 12-19 with its seventh straight loss. The Red Wolves visit Southeast on April 19 to conclude their annual two-game series.

"This is a big-time team win. Our guys stayed right there," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "We were able to take advantage of a couple of mistakes they made, but that's part of it."

Southeast trailed 3-0 after six innings before rallying with two runs in the seventh and eighth innings to lead 4-3. Both seventh-inning runs were unearned. ASU made five errors in the game.

The Red Wolves answered with two in the bottom of the eighth to go back ahead 5-4.

Senior Louie Haseltine led off the ninth with a ground ball to third base that was thrown away for an error.

Junior Kenton Parmley bunted. ASU tried for a force at second, but the throw was high for an error.

Junior Taylor Heon walked to load the bases. After a strikeout, senior Brett Russell's ground ball up the middle sneaked through the infield for a two-run single that put Southeast ahead.

Later in the inning junior Jesse Tierney's ground ball was thrown away for ASU's third error of the frame, allowing two insurance runs to score. Three of the ninth-inning runs were unearned.

"We battled late in the game," Hogan said. "To come back and win in the ninth was huge. You can practice all you want, but you can't practice coming through in the clutch like that. I am so proud with all the guys across the board."

Senior left-hander Logan Mahon (4-3), who notched the victory, retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth. He then walked two straight before ending the contest with a strikeout.

Southeast was shut out on one hit through six innings before finally breaking through in the seventh. A two-out error plated the first run and junior Trenton Moses delivered an RBI single to make it 3-2.

The Redhawks pulled ahead in the eighth. Senior Michael Adamson singled with one out, Russell walked, senior Ky Burgess got an RBI single and Tierney's squeeze bunt went for an RBI single.

Sophomore Shae Simmons came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth. He issued a leadoff walk, recorded a strikeout, walked another batter and got another strikeout.

On came Mahon, who fired a wild pitch that moved the runners to second and third. Logan Uxa came through with a two-run single for a 5-4 ASU advantage.

Senior Nick Thomas started and fired three hitless innings before the Red Wolves used four fourth-inning hits to score three times.

Freshman left-hander Christian Hull pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Senior Jacob Wente worked a perfect seventh.

Southeast had seven hits, led by Russell and Adamson with two each. Russell scored three times in addition to his two RBIs. ASU finished with six hits.

The Redhawks resume Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at defending OVC regular-season champion Tennessee Tech. There will be a doubleheader Saturday and a single contest Sunday.