Southeast Missouri State baseball team swept in opening OVC series

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team has had better weekends.

Defending Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament champion Austin Peay finished off a three-game Ohio Valley Conference sweep with Sunday's 11-7 comeback win at Capaha Field.

Austin Peay, this year's preseason OVC favorite, improved to 14-10 overall and 3-0 in league play by sweeping a three-game series from the Redhawks for the first time.

Southeast fell to 7-18 and 0-3. The Redhawks have dropped 14 of their last 16 games, including eight consecutive.

"It's tough but there's a lot of the season left. Hopefully we can get it going," Southeast senior first baseman Kody Campbell said. "You have to give them credit. They're the defending champs."

Southeast Missouri State’s Kenton Parmley scores against Austin Peay during the first inning Sunday at Capaha Field. Austin Peay won 11-7. (Laura Simon)

The Redhawks had their moments in all three games, including Saturday's 5-2 defeat and Friday's 8-5 setback.

"They were pretty tough games," Southeast redshirt freshman Andy Lennington said. "We just have to keep fighting."

Sunday's loss presented Southeast with the best opportunity to break through.

"We had several chances," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan, whose squad stranded 14 runners compared to 12 for Austin Peay.

Campbell's fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning, gave the Redhawks a 7-5 advantage.

Southeast Missouri State coach Chris Cafalone high-fives Cody Campbell on his two-run homer in the fifth inning against Austin Peay Sunday, March 25, 2012 at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau. Austin Peay won 11-7. (Laura Simon)

But the Governors rallied back. They scored a run in the sixth inning and added two runs in the seventh inning, which represented the contest's fourth lead change and put the Govs ahead to stay.

Junior Reed Harper led off the seventh with a game-tying home run that rocketed high off the scoreboard beyond the left-field wall.

After a double and two walks loaded the bases with one out, senior Jon Clinard drove in the go-ahead run with a ground ball that Southeast senior shortstop Kenton Parmley made a good play on to get a force at third base.

The Govs added three insurance runs in the eighth inning, all unearned after a two-out error by All-American senior third baseman Trenton Moses.

Moses nearly redeemed himself when Southeast loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off standout closer Tyler Rogers.

Southeast Missouri State’s Cole Bieser, left, congratulates Cody Campbell on his two-run homer during the fifth inning.

Rogers, after striking out the first two in the frame, issued a walk and hit two batters to bring Moses to the plate. His shot to left-center was tracked down on a nice running catch by senior center fielder Michael Blanchard.

"If we'd like to have anybody up in that situation it's Trent," Campbell said. "He put a good swing on it. That's the way it goes. I kind of feel like you make your own breaks."

Southeast and Austin Peay both had 12 hits Sunday, after the Redhawks outhit the Govs in the first two games of the series.

But three errors by the Redhawks led to six unearned runs for the Govs. Four Southeast errors Saturday gave Austin Peay three unearned runs.

"We gave too many opportunities to a well-seasoned club that didn't really need any help," Hogan said.

Lennington, who started in right field Sunday but has also played plenty of first base, led Southeast offensively by going 4 for 5.

"I saw the ball pretty well today and I was getting good pitches to hit," Lennington said.

Lennington paced the Redhawks in the series with eight hits and is batting .337, third-highest on the squad behind Moses (.466) and Parmley (.414).

"Andy is really having a good year for us," Hogan said.

Moses and Parmley both hit safely to continue their impressive streaks.

Moses has reached base safely in 45 consecutive games dating back to last year, three shy of the school record of 48. He has a current 16-game hitting streak.

Parmley has a 32-game hitting streak dating back to last year and has reached base safely in 41 straight contests. He is closing in on former major-leaguer Kerry Robinson's school-record 35-game hitting streak that ranks among the longest in OVC history.

Junior college transfer left-hander Ryan Kendall, making his third start for Southeast, allowed hits to the first four batters he faced in a two-run first inning.

Kendall settled in and turned in a solid performance, giving up five runs -- just two earned, although two of the unearned runs were due to his own fielding error -- and seven hits in five innings. He struck out two, walked three and hit a batter.

"He did all right. He worked around some stuff," Hogan said.

Juco transfer Trevor Kill (1-1) took the loss, allowing three runs and three hits in one inning.

Southeast's pitching staff again was hurt by walks. The Redhawks issued nine free passes and rank among the nation's leaders in walks allowed with 163 on the season, an average of nearly seven per game.

"The nine walks just killed us," Hogan said. "That's been our Achilles' heel."

The Redhawks knocked out Austin Peay senior starter Lucas Anderson after he recorded only one out during a three-run first inning that wiped out the Govs' 2-0 lead.

But Austin Peay's bullpen was strong for the third consecutive day. Four relievers held Southeast down enough for the Govs to rally. The Redhawks did not score over the final four innings.

Rogers, who fired a three-inning save Friday and also notched a save with a perfect ninth inning Saturday, finished off Sunday's victory with two scoreless innings although it was not a save situation.

Rogers, a juco transfer, did not allow a run during his six innings in the series. He lowered his ERA to a microscopic 0.39.

Campbell and sophomore left fielder Derek Gibson both added two hits for Southeast. Campbell had three RBIs and Gibson had two.

The Redhawks received good news when senior catcher Jesse Tierney made a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth inning. It was the first time he played in a game since suffering a hand injury Feb. 25. Tierney drew a walk.

Southeast returns to action Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. nonconference game at Arkansas State.