Southeast rides Leigh past Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- After needing nearly five hours to win the series opener, the Southeast Missouri State baseball team posted another narrow -- although more conventional -- victory.

The Redhawks held off host Memphis 6-5 on Saturday afternoon, after beating the Tigers 9-8 in Friday night's 14-inning marathon that lasted 4 hours, 50 minutes.

Southeast moved over the .500 mark at 6-5 by winning for the fourth time in its last five games. Memphis fell to 6-10.

Junior left-hander James Leigh continued his dazzling start to the season for the Redhawks following several years of arm problems.

Leigh, who saw limited action at Southeast last season after transferring from junior college, pushed his record to 3-0 as he struck out 10 while allowing just one run in six innings. He gave up four hits and walked two.

Leigh, who already has been drafted twice -- once out of high school and once in junior college -- entered the weekend as the Ohio Valley Conference ERA leader. His ERA is 1.06, and he has struck out 28 in 17 innings.

The Redhawks got off to a fast start as Justin Wheeler drilled a two-run home run in the top of the first inning.

Jim Klocke walked with one out before Wheeler's blast, the third of the season for the junior college transfer.

Wheeler and Klocke teamed up again in the third inning to make it 3-0 as Wheeler's double plated Klocke, who had singled with two outs.

Tyrell Cummings belted his team-high fifth homer of the season and second in the series, a solo shot with one out in the sixth inning that made it 4-0.

Cummings, another juco transfer, also leads the Redhawks with six doubles and 18 RBIs.

Memphis got a run in the sixth, but the Redhawks answered with two in the seventh to build a 6-1 lead.

The Tigers rallied with a four-run eighth, three of the runs being charged to juco transfer Todd Strahlendorf after he struck out the side in the seventh.

Jake Kemper, a juco transfer who had thrown just one inning this season, earned his first Southeast save.

Kemper recorded the final two outs in the eighth -- he allowed one run -- and then nailed down the victory by striking out the side during a perfect ninth.

Wheeler and Klocke both had two of Southeast's seven hits. Wheeler leads the Redhawks with a .378 batting average.

Memphis finished with eight hits, and Southeast pitchers combined to strike out 17 batters.

The first two games of the series marked the return of Southeast sophomore shortstop Nick Harris, who had been out since suffering a knee injury during the Feb. 22 season opener at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Harris, a freshman All-American last year, served as the Redhawks' designated hitter Friday and Saturday. He went 1-for-4 on Friday and was 0-for-4 on Saturday, but drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Southeast and Memphis will conclude their three-game series at 1 p.m. today.