Southeast Missouri State baseball team shakes off loss to Murray State, claims weekend series with 7-4 win

Garrett Gandolfo had little trouble summing up the Southeast Missouri State baseball team's series finale against Murray State on Saturday afternoon.

The Redhawks were tough, according to the senior left fielder. Tough enough to bounce back from a one-run loss in Game 2. Tough enough to knock the Racers' starting pitcher out of the game early. And tough enough to play solid defense behind a pair of shut-down relievers to hang on for a 7-4 victory at Capaha Field.

"We played a really, really good baseball game yesterday, and you've got to give credit to those guys -- they came up and [kicked] our butts," Gandolfo said. "But we were a tough ball club."

Center fielder Dan Holst thought Gandolfo's analysis of the team was spot on.

"Tough game last night, didn't know if we were going to get to play or not," Holst said. "Tough again today. We were out here on short rest, we're pulling the tarp, it's wet out here. But I think today we kind of just played like little kids again today. With the conditions how they were, I know out there in center I was just having a ball. Just felt like I was back in the backyard just having fun."

The league-leading Redhawks improved to 20-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Second-place Jacksonville State, a team Southeast got a series win over last weekend, improved to 16-4 in conference with a Game 2 victory over Belmont on Saturday.

"We've got a really good team sitting there with us that's not planning on losing any games down the stretch either, but the thing that we've got is three games in hand with three wins and it's tough to sweep a series," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said about the standings. "But I think they're going to put the pressure on us and make us pretty much win out if we want to win this thing."

After getting shutout over the final six innings of Friday's game, Southeast was focused on putting up some runs early in the finale.

Trevor Ezell led off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle, was bunted to second by Holst and reached third when right fielder Reed Thompson dropped a shallow popup.

Gandolfo, who had a hitting streak halted at 21 games Friday, smoked a single off the glove of the second baseman to drive in a pair and give the Redhawks a 2-0 lead after one inning.

MSU cut the deficit in half in the top of the second. Kipp Moore hit a leadoff double to center and scored on a two-out Thompson single that took a sharp hop over shortstop Branden Boggetto.

Ezell drew a two-out walk in the home half before Holst worked a full count and sent a two-run home run to right center to give the Redhawks a 4-1 edge.

"It was a long at-bat," Holst said. "He threw me a change up middle-in earlier in that at-bat and I pulled it foul. I was kind of frustrated because I'd done that a couple times this series, and so I get back to 3-2 and I'm just looking for a fastball away and he happened to speed my bat up with a changeup. Probably the same pitch it was earlier, I just didn't miss it that time."

The heart of the Racers' batting order quickly erased Southeast's lead, though.

Adam Bauer led off the third with a single up the middle and No. 3 hitter Tyler Lawrence homered to right to pull MSU within one.

Ramsey Scott, a Cape Central graduate who hit a three-run shot Friday, sent the next pitch from starter Robert Beltran out in right for his 11th home run that knotted it at 4-4.

Beltran gave up a single and walked a batter before the Redhawks recorded an out in the frame.

Southeast Missouri State reliever Jake Busiek pitches during the fourth inning.

Designated hitter Jack Hranec flew out to center and Holst's throw to third was good enough to hold the lead runner at second. Holst made a leaping catch and ran into the wall in right center for the second out before Beltran exited for lefty Jake Busiek.

Catcher Brian Lees blocked a ball in the dirt from Busiek and threw out Moore at second to end the threat.

The Racers got a runner on third again in the fourth. Aaron Bence reached on a bloop single behind Caffrey at first and stole second with one out.

Caffrey caught a liner from the next batter and threw toward second in an attempt for a double play, but his throw was off the mark and went into the outfield, allowing Bence to take third. Busiek struck out Lawrence looking to leave him there.

Southeast regained the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth.

Andy Lack hit a one-out double to left center and scored on a single through the left side by Ezell, who went 3-for-4. Holst, who finished 2-for-3, followed with an infield single and Boggetto drew a walk to load the bases for Gandolfo.

He hit one to short for a fielder's choice that allowed Ezell to score and left runners on the corners with two outs.

Gandolfo went halfway to second on a ball in the dirt to Caffrey, and when the throw came to second Holst raced home. The throw to the plate beat him, but Lawrence dropped it for an error that put the Redhawks up 7-4.

Southeast stranded the bases loaded in the sixth and left two on in the seventh and one in the eighth, but didn't need another run behind Busiek and closer Justin Murphy, who shutout MSU the rest of the way.

"That was the key to today's game," Bieser said of his relievers. "I thought that they gave us some opportunities to score some runs today and we were able to pick a few of those up early, and then we also had those same opportunities in the latter part of the game and never cashed in on those.

"You could tell it was going to be tough. It was going to have to be on the pitching and the defense to kind of close this game out, and just very fortunate that Jake Busiek came in throwing the ball very effective and then Murphy follows him up and does the same thing. Those guys really haven't probably been getting enough work and you sometimes worry when you don't keep them fresh and don't give them enough work, 'Are both of those guys going to come out sharp?' and they both did."

Busiek (1-0) picked up his first win, giving up just one hit over four scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Murphy allowed one hit, did not walk a batter and struck out two over the final 2 1/3 en route to his fifth save.

The Redhawks improved to 31-12 with the victory.

"It's a great one," Gandolfo said with a smile. "Plain and simple."

Southeast hosts Saint Louis at 6 p.m. Tuesday. There will be a free tailgate with food and drinks provided by Wings Etc. and Kohlfeld Distributing.