Southeast Missouri State baseball team sweeps UT Martin with walk-off win in extra innings

Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Steve Bieser stood in the dugout during the bottom of the first inning of Sunday afternoon's series finale against UT Martin and made plans to replace freshman left fielder Trevor Ezell.

The Redhawks' leadoff batter had bunted for a hit, stolen second and was tagged out after sliding past third base on an attempt to advance on a pitch in the dirt.

It was Ezell's left shoulder, which popped out on the slide, that nearly kept him out of the remainder of the game, but he was cleared to play.

Ezell then came up with his second hit of the day in the bottom of the 12th as he sent the first pitch he saw to the gap in right center to score Brendon Neel in a 5-4 walk-off win at Capaha Field.

"Trevor's been big like that all season long. He plays well beyond his years," Bieser said. "I think he's one of our true gamers. He wants to be in there every moment. ... We kept him in there, and I'm thankful that we did because he came up there in the right situation and came up with a huge two-out hit. That's just the type of player Trevor is. He wants to be in that limelight and it doesn't really faze him."

Ezell's walk-off was just the eighth hit of the game for the Redhawks, who had pounded the Skyhawks for 29 runs and 30 hits over the first two games of the series.

"I was just thinking the guys did a good job of getting on and getting him over and I just had to do whatever I could to get the run in," Ezell said minutes after his teammates mobbed him on the field and drenched him in water.

Senior Brendon Neel pinch hit to lead off the inning and doubled to center. Clayton Evans, who went 3 for 6, flied out to right, advancing Neel to third and setting the stage for Ezell's two-out hit.

Southeast Missouri State's Trevor Ezell (12) is mobbed by teammates after his walk-off double to beat UT Martin in the 12th inning Sunday, March 22, 2015 at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

"He stays ready, and that's what's so valuable about him on the bench," Bieser said about Neel. "The toughest thing to do for me is just to have a guy come off the bench and be successful. Brendon stays engaged and locked in. I mean, he was probably just one of the few guys that stayed locked in constantly on the bench and was just waiting his turn."

Southeast held a 3-0 lead after two innings. Skyhawks starting pitcher Alex Martin forced in two runs with bases-loaded walks in the second before designated hitter Garrett Gandolfo plated the third with a sacrifice fly.

UTM's first hit of the game was a leadoff home run by Nick Pribble in the top of the fourth to cut it to 3-1.

A couple of one-out walks and a base hit in the fifth cut Southeast's lead to 3-2 before the Redhawks escaped the inning with a 4-3-6-2-4-6 double play that retired the batter and ultimately the runner on third after a lengthy rundown.

Southeast added one run in the seventh on another bases-loaded walk. The Redhawks had the opportunity for more but Gandolfo didn't tag up at third on a bases-loaded fly ball to center by third baseman Hunter Leeper and eventually was tagged out trying to score on a passed ball to end the threat.

"We had the one hiccup there in that inning where we didn't tag on a fly ball, and you can't have those things," Bieser said. "It's obviously a different outcome if we tag there, and now we've got a three-run cushion and probably with a three-run cushion we may let Alex [Winkelman] go back out and at least work one hitter to see how the inning goes, and it could've totally changed everything."

Southeast Missouri State's Clayton Evans singles against UT Martin during the 10th inning Sunday, March 22, 2015 at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

Starter Alex Winkelman returned to the mound with the two-run lead in the eighth and retired the Skyhawks in order before closer Matt Wade came in for the ninth.

Wade allowed an infield single and a walk before designated hitter Austin Taylor cut the lead to 4-3 with an RBI single to center. A sacrifice fly tied it.

Second baseman Jason Blum singled and advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt to start the bottom of the ninth.

He tagged up and took third on a fly ball before first baseman Ryan Rippee and right fielder Dalton Hewitt were intentionally walked to load the bases.

Leeper had a 3-0 count before taking a pitch that was ruled a strike. Bieser got a warning from the umpire after voicing his disapproval with the call.

"There's no place in baseball for that for me. A strike's a strike and a ball's a ball," Bieser said. "A lot of times you see guys that they expand the zone on a 3-0 count and*...there's no helping the pitchers out. Make them throw a strike for a strike. That was frustrating."

Leeper hit into a fielder's choice that forced out Blum at home before a line out stranded the bases loaded and sent the game to extra innings. The Redhawks finished with 14 runners left on base.

Southeast reliever Alex Siddle entered in the 10th, pitching 2 1/3 innings before allowing a one-out single and a hit batsman in the 12th.

Southeast Missouri State relief pitcher Greg Mosel throws to a UT Martin batter during the 12th inning Sunday, March 22, 2015 at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

Greg Mosel replaced Siddle to face the top of the Skyhawks' lineup.

Mosel allowed a walk to load the bases before recording a strikeout and a fly out to end the inning.

"He showed a little bit of nerves, but he bounced back and really settled in and made some really quality pitches when he had to against some really tough hitters there," Bieser said. "I was pleased with the way he worked his way out of that. He was using his changeup a lot, and then all of a sudden his changeup left him. The nice thing is he was able to go to his fastball-slider there and get a big strikeout and then really make a good pitch on a fastball to get their best hitter out."

Mosel (2-1) got the win for obtaining the final two outs. Winkelman went eight innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out four but was left with a no-decision.

Southeast Missouri State's Jason Blum advances to third on a fly-out by Garrett Gandolfo during the ninth inning Sunday, March 22, 2015 at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

"I don't know what we're going to have to do to get him a win right now," Bieser said with a laugh. "If he continues to throw the ball the way he's throwing it right now, he's going to get his wins, and there's enough season there where he can start racking those wins up, and we're hoping that it's going to happen next week for him."

The Redhawks improved to 13-9 and 7-2 in conference with their fourth consecutive victory.

"I think it's just a big relief for everyone after a 12-inning game to just come out with a 'W' through all that," Ezell said.

It was the first conference series sweep of the season for Southeast and the first time the Skyhawks (4-16, 2-7 OVC) had been swept in OVC play.

"When you go into Day 3 and you're playing good baseball and you have that opportunity to get it, you've really got to bear down and get one because there's a lot of season left and a lot of things can happen as the season goes, so when you have that opportunity this is huge," Bieser said. "When you can sweep in our conference that's a big uplift in the standings and in the way things will play out down the road. This was a big win for us. It's early in the season, but it's a huge win to get a sweep."

The Redhawks host Saint Louis at 6 p.m. Tuesday and face Arkansas State on the road Wednesday.

Bieser is hopeful starting third baseman Andy Lennington, who left the game with a hamstring injury after a leadoff single in the second inning, will be available by Southeast's weekend series at SIU Edwardsville.