Southeast Missouri State baseball team shuts out Central Arkansas in home opener

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team didn’t have any trouble finding a source of motivation in its home opener against Central Arkansas on Friday afternoon. It came in the form of left-handed starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi.

The Redhawks, who were challenged to play with high energy for at least seven innings by coach Steve Bieser prior to the game, were driven by Lucchesi’s imperfect but impressive outing and picked up a 6-0 win against the visiting Bears at Capaha Field.

“We kind of feed off of Joey on the mound,” senior shortstop Branden Boggetto said. “He was doing very well tonight — like he always does — so we were kind of feeding off him throwing up zeros. We just wanted to score runs for him and keep the energy up and we got the job done tonight.”

Lucchesi’s performance was far from the seven perfect innings he pitched the week before, but even without his best he was able to work seven scoreless innings. He exited after 119 pitches with a 2-0 lead.

The Redhawks got that advantage early, scoring in each of the first two innings.

In the opening frame, sophomore second baseman Trevor Ezell hit a one-out single and reached third on a base hit down the first-base line by junior center fielder Dan Holst. The pair then executed a delayed double steal with Ezell scoring to make it 1-0.

Senior first baseman Ryan Rippee led off the second with his first home run of the season, a shot to left that put Southeast up 2-0. That margin would stand until the bottom of the eighth.

Lucchesi allowed five hits and five walks over his first six innings before retiring the Bears in order in the seventh.

“Obviously I didn’t have my stuff working, but I just grinded my way out of it,” Lucchesi said. “I wanted a win for my team because that’s what’s important. I was able to make it through, we got the win. I’m just happy we got the win. I walked way too many people, I thought.”

Lucchesi (2-1) and UCA starter Connor Gilmore (1-2) had walked three and five batters, respectively, in their first two starts of the season. Both finished with five on Friday night, and Bieser said both had issues gripping the ball in the cool weather.

The Redhawks’ defense was able to help Lucchesi out of jams early.

Ryan Rippee launches a home run for Southeast Missouri State in a 6-0 win over Central Arkansas on Friday at Capaha Park. (Wayne McPherson~Special to the Southeast Missourian)

With the bases loaded in the top of the first, Boggetto turned a 6-3 inning-ending double play. The Bears had runners on first and second after back-to-back base on balls, but a 6-4-3 double play stranded both.

UCA (5-5) left runners on second and third in the third after a strikeout and groundout.

“I’m thankful my guys were there and doing their job,” Lucchesi said.

In the top of the fifth Lucchesi issued his final walk with one out. His pickoff attempt at first was off the mark, allowing Tyler Langley to move to second. Lucchesi struck out the batter but Langley stole third, with third baseman Chris Caffrey diving to snag a low throw from catcher Brian Lees. A groundout kept the Bears off the board.

Even when Lucchesi left the game the defense shined. A one-out walk issued by Justin Murphy was erased in the top of the eighth when senior Andy Lack snagged a ball hit hard to third and got the lead runner.

Southeast’s lone error in the game was on Lucchesi’s pickoff attempt.

“I thought we played outstanding defense and that’s something that this team’s very capable of doing — playing really good defense all year,” Bieser said. “Chris Caffrey making the play on their stolen base — that could’ve given up a run right there on a tough throw that Brian made to him in the dirt there, and he was able to pick it and keep the runner there and give us a chance to get the hitter out. That play that Andy made, it wasn’t as easy as it looked. He got caught in between a hop and he made a good play to get the force out right there. … Those are plays that you’ve got to make against teams that are really solid like Central Arkansas.”

Lucchesi finished the night with nine strikeouts, which all came from the third inning on. He felt he settled in somewhere around the fourth or fifth inning, but “was still kind of everywhere.”

“He just never really found one consistent pitch,” Bieser said. “It was like you had to go to the fastball a lot, then there towards the end once he got tired he found his curveball a little bit, but he never could find his changeup and he became a two-pitch pitcher. You know, that’s the mark of a good pitcher. If he can get by with two pitches you know he’s got pretty good stuff.”

Murphy, a junior transfer, finished off the shutout. He did not allow a hit, walked one and struck out one in two innings. He picked up his second save of the season.

“His stuff just explodes,” Bieser said. “He’s kind of smooth then all of a sudden it jumps at you. He’s got a really, really good sinking fastball that has some late life and he throws a big-time curveball, so with those two pitches it kind of portrays him as a closer. He’s got a good chance to be our closer. We’re still kind of doing it by committee.”

UCA’s Gilmore took the loss, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with five walks and seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

“One of the things I talked to them about before the game was, ‘Let’s be aggressive. This guy doesn’t walk guys, let’s go out and attack. Every time he throws a strike let’s attack it,’” Bieser said. “And other than the very first pitch of the game lining out, I think they just believed in their approach.

"They really didn’t go outside the strike zone. They took very good at-bats and they swung when he threw a strike and they took when he threw a ball and that’s part of the reason we were able to draw 10 walks and we had a lot of baserunners. That makes it tough on the opposing team — when you’re always pitching in pressure situations and not to give up runs. I think that was the key to tonight’s game, really putting a lot of pressure on them for nine innings.”

The Redhawks (5-4) got to reliever Connor McClain in the bottom of the eighth.

Lack and Lees each drew one-out walks before Daniel Costello doubled to left to score Lack. Holst hit a two-out, two-RBI double through the left side and scored to make it 6-0 on a double to the wall in dead center from Boggetto.

“They came out and played the game the way it was supposed to be played,” Bieser said. “And yeah, it was frustrating at times when you hit into a couple of double plays early on and you know you’re facing a really good arm and you worry about if you can get enough runs to win this game, but the fact that they didn’t let up and they were still playing hard with a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the eighth and being able to lengthen that lead out to really make it easier on our pitching staff [was good to see].”

Southeast hosts UCA in Game 2 at 2 p.m. Saturday.