Troy completes sweep of Southeast Missouri State baseball team

You couldn't blame the Southeast Missouri State baseball team if it wants to forget all about Troy, Ala.

The Redhawks entered a weekend series against Troy riding high, having won seven of their nine games and all three series.

Troy brought Southeast back to earth with a three-game sweep, capped by Sunday's 7-2 victory keyed by a five-run third inning.

The Trojans won 2-1 in 10 innings Saturday and 9-0 on Friday.

Southeast fell to 7-5 while the Trojans, annually among the better teams in the Sun Belt Conference, improved to 9-2.

The Redhawks' offense stalled all weekend as it managed just three runs, one of those unearned. The last time Southeast had been held to three runs in a three-game series was in 2006.

Southeast's pitching was strong most of the weekend, allowing only two earned runs in the first two contests before giving up six earned runs Sunday.

The Redhawks outhit Troy 10-8 on Sunday, giving them 22 hits in the series. The Trojans ended with 26 hits.

Southeast's offensive highlight Sunday was a home run by senior center fielder Blake Slattery from Central High School.

Slattery had two hits, as did senior shortstop Kenton Parmley and senior second baseman Taylor Heon.

The Redhawks led for the first time all weekend with a run in the third inning, taking a 1-0 lead.

Senior DH Brennan Malham, who only had three previous at-bats this year and was making his first start, doubled with one out and scored on Heon's single.

Troy exploded with five runs in its half of the third. The Trojans had four hits, the key blow a three-run homer by Blake Martz that made it 5-1 and knocked out senior starting pitcher Nick Thomas.

Thomas (1-1), who retired the side in order the first two innings, took the loss.

The Trojans made it 7-1 with two fifth-inning runs off left-hander Ryan Prickett, who worked 2 2/3 innings.

Slattery's first home run of the season, a solo shot in the sixth inning, cut the deficit to 7-2.

Senior Trent Wise pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings and senior Corey Harness worked a perfect ninth.

Sophomore left-hander Ryan Sorce (1-1) gave Troy its third strong start of the series. He worked six innings, allowing two runs and seven hits while striking out three and walking one.

Three Troy relievers each threw a scoreless inning.

Southeast concludes a five-game road swing with a two-game series at Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday (6 p.m.) and Wednesday (3 p.m.).