Tennessee Tech sweeps Southeast Missouri State baseball team

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team is assured of its first Ohio Valley Conference series loss of the season.

Host Tennessee Tech did the honors by sweeping Saturday's doubleheader in Cookeville, Tenn., 9-5 and 5-4.

Southeast is 16-14 overall and 3-4 in OVC play. The Redhawks, who have dropped three straight conference games, fell from a tie for second place all the way to seventh in the nine-team league.

Defending OVC regular-season champion Tech improved to 13-16 and 3-2. The Eagles moved into second place.

The squads conclude their three-game series at 1 p.m. today.

"They had a great day today. They played well," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "We played hard. They played hard. We fell short. Not much happened our way today."

Southeast started strong, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning of the nine-inning opener. Junior Trenton Moses delivered a two-RBI double with two outs.

But that was the Redhawks' only lead of the day. They rallied with three sixth-inning runs to tie the seven-inning nightcap 4-4 before the Eagles scored the winning run in the seventh.

The Redhawks were outhit 24-14, including 16-8 in the opener.

Senior Brett Russell went 3 for 4 with a home run in the opener.

Junior Kenton Parmley went 3 for 4 in the second game. He homered in the opener, added a double in the nightcap and was the only Southeast player to finish the day with four hits.

Senior Michael Adamson contributed three hits in the twin bill.

Much of Southeast's first-game damage came via the long ball after Tech opened up an 8-2 lead.

Russell had a solo shot in the sixth inning to cut the deficit to 8-3 and Parmley's two-run blast in the seventh inning made it 8-5.

Tech erased its early 2-0 deficit with eight unanswered runs through the third and sixth innings. All-American Chad Oberacker, the OVC preseason player of the year, hit a two-run, fifth-inning homer to make it 5-2.

Senior Jon Dicus (2-2) took the loss, allowing 10 hits and eight runs, seven earned, in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and did not record a strikeout.

Tech led 3-0 and 4-1 in the nightcap before the Redhawks rallied, thanks in part to an error that made all three sixth-inning runs unearned.

Senior Blake Slattery began the frame by reaching on the error. Parmley's double sent Slattery to third.

Adamson's one-out single scored Slattery and moved Parmley to third.

The runners were still on first and third with two outs when Adamson stole second and the throw got away, allowing Parmley to score.

Senior Casey Jones delivered an RBI single that plated Adamson with the tying run before Tech escaped further damage.

Tech won it in the seventh off sophomore Shae Simmons, who had taken over in the fifth inning.

Ben Burgess led off with a single and Oberacker walked. A sacrifice moved the runners up and an intentional walk loaded the bases.

Evan Frazier's ground ball was booted by junior second baseman Taylor Heon as pinch-runner Zach Flynn scored the winning run. The run was unearned as Southeast committed its only error of the day.

Simmons (0-4) gave up just one hit in two innings but took the loss. He struck out three and walked three.

Senior Jordan Underwood worked the first 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked two.

The pitching matchup for today's nine-inning series finale will be senior Brad LaBruyere (3-1, 2.91 ERA) against Oberacker (0-2, 4.50).