Southeast Missouri State baseball team splits doubleheader with Morehead St.

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team belted four home runs in the opener of Sunday's doubleheader at hitter friendly Allen Field in Morehead, Kentucky, extending its Ohio Valley Conference winning streak to three games before dropping the nightcap.

Redhawks cleanup batter Ryan Rippee blasted two home runs and Trevor Ezell and Clayton Evans each added one as the Redhawks won the opener 8-6. Morehead State countered with an 11-7 win in the nightcap.

Evans' eighth-inning solo blast over the center-field fence -- 350 feet from home plate -- broke a 6-6 tie, while Rippee added an insurance run with his second home run of the game in the top of the ninth.

Southeast (8-8 overall, 3-2 OVC) also ripped four doubles in the opener, part of a 13-hit attack. It all was enough to overcome 10 walks and three hit batsmen by Redhawks pitchers in the game. On the day, Redhawks pitchers issued 17 walks and hit five batters.

Rippee went 4 for 5 and finished with three RBIs in the opener. He,also hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, which tied the score at 2-2. After the Eagles regained the lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth, the Redhawks again pulled even on a solo blast by Ezell in the fifth.

Southeast took a 6-3 lead in the sixth on a pair of one-out hits, the first an RBI single by Scott Mitchell which was followed by a two-run double by Branden Boggetto.

Morehead (10-5, 3-2) chased Southeast starter Alex Winkelman in the sixth with a leadoff single by Jimmy Wright, who later scored on a sacrifice fly off reliever Ryan Lenaburg.

The Eagles scored a pair of two out-run runs in the seventh off Alex Siddle, who replaced Lenaburg at the start of the inning. Siddle forced in both runs with bases-loaded walks.

Matthew Wade replaced Siddle and ended the rally by retiring Chris Robinson on a groundout.

Wade (1-0), a redshirt freshman, did not allow a hit over the final 2 1/3 innings to record his first win at Southeast. He struck out two and walked one.

Four Southeast pitchers combined to issue the 10 walks, including five by Winkelman and three by Siddle. The Redhawks allowed just six hits.

Aaron Leasher (1-1), the third Eagles pitcher, took the loss for Morehead, allowing three hits in two innings.

Ezell finished with three hits, while Jason Blum and Mitchell both had two.

In Game 2, Southeast starter Travis Hayes gave up back-to-back home runs to the first two batters in the first. Ryan Kent went deep before Robinson followed for a 2-0 lead. Hayes, who lasted 2 1/3 innings, then walked the net two batters before yielding a run-scoring single to Robby Spencer.

Southeast countered with a run in the top of the second on a walk, a double by Boggetto and a throwing error.

The Redhawks took a short-lived lead with a three-run third. Southeast scored its runs on a sacrifice fly by Garrett Gandolfo and a two-run home by Andy Lennington.

However, the first four batters in the home half of the inning reached base against Hayes, who gave up four hits and a walk before being relieved with two outs by Greg Mosel. The Eagles scored four runs in the inning, two of which were unearned, for a 7-4 lead.

The Eagles added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings for a 9-4 lead.

Southeast scored a single run in the sixth and two in the eighth on a Boggetto home run but never threatened the Eagles, who added a pair of runs in the sixth.

Hayes (3-2) took the loss, allowing seven runs -- five earned. He walked four, struck out two and allowed seven hits.

The Redhawks used six pitchers in the game who combined for seven walks and hit two batters. Mosel struck out three of the six batters fanned by the Redhawks.

The Eagles, who committed four errors in the field, banged out 13 hits. Boggetto finished with two of Southeast's eight hits.

Morehead's Luke Humphreys pitched five innings for the win, allowing seven hits and four runs. David Calderon allowed one hit and three runs over the final four innings for his first save. Calderon walked two and struck out five.

The three-game series concludes today with an 11 a.m. contest.