Game One PDF Box Score
Game Two PDF Box Score

LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Southeast Missouri baseball team lost both games of a doubleheader Saturday to Illinois State. Southeast fell in game one by a score of 8-3. A ninth-inning comeback in game two fell short as Southeast lost 6-5.

Southeast Missouri falls to below .500 on the season at 3-4 while Illinois State climbs to 4-2.

Illinois State 8, Southeast Missouri 3
Dalton Hewitt put Southeast on the board with his second home run of the season. Branden Boggetto scored on Hewitt's home run to right center to put Southeast ahead 2-0 in the second inning.

Andy Lennington hit his second home run of the season in the third inning to extend the Redhawk lead to 3-0.

Illinois State found a lead in the fifth inning. Ryan Koziol hit a leadoff home run to get the Redbirds on the board. A three-run home run by Paul DeJong gave Illinois State a one-run lead. Logan Leverett tripled to right center, driving in another run and giving Illinois State a 5-3 lead.

Mason Snyder hit Illinois State's third home run of the day, fifth of the series, in the seventh to make the score 7-3. The Redbirds plated one more run on an RBI double by Leverett to make it 8-3.

The Redhawk offense would remain dormant the remainder of the game. The Redhawks were out-hit 16-8 and left eight runners on base.

Travis Hayes (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season. Hayes pitched six complete innings, allowing five earned runs, struck out six, and walked one. Jacob Lawrence saw two-thirds of an inning, allowing three runs but struck out both batters he retired. Matthew Wade worked two and a third scoreless innings allowing only two hits.

Lennington finished the game going 3-for-4 with an RBI and was the only Redhawk with a multi-hit performance in game one.

Jacob Hendren (1-0) earned the win after pitching six innings. He allowed three runs on eight hits, struck out seven Redhawks, and walked three.

Illinois State 6, Southeast Missouri 5
Ryan Rippee put the Redhawks on the board right off the bat in the first inning. With Lennington on second, Rippee singled to right field, deep enough for Lennington to score and put Southeast ahead 1-0.

ISU was quick to respond in the top of the second. A pair of one-out singles and a wild pitch put a runner on third for the Redbirds. Leverett scored on a sac fly to right, tying the game at a run apiece.

Jason Blum drew a one-out walk in the third inning. With two out, Lennington hit a high, fly ball to right center field that the centerfielder lost in the lights. The ball fell well behind the fielder, giving Lennington a double and scoring Blum from first and putting Southeast back on top, 2-1.

Brian Rodemoyer tied the game with a solo home run to left in the fifth inning, 2-2.

DeJong broke the tie in the sixth inning with a leadoff home run just fair down the right field line. Leverett broke the game wide open for ISU with a three-run home run, ISU's sixth of the doubleheader, to make it 6-2 in favor is the Redbirds.

Garrett Gandolfo led off the seventh for the Redhawks with a triple to right center field. He scored on an error by the second baseman, narrowing the deficit to 6-3.

Rippee recorded his first home run in a Redhawk uniform to lead off the eighth inning and cut the Redbird lead to two runs, 6-4.

The Redhawks made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two out, Blum singled and Trevor Ezell and Lennington each walked to load the bases. Matt Lambert, who was one out away from a four-inning save, was pulled in favor of Jake Sale. Rippee proceeded to line a single into right field, scoring Lennington. Ezell, who was sent home on the play, was out at the plate on the throw from the right fielder, ending the game, 6-5.

For the first time in the series, Southeast out-hit Illinois State, 10-9. Rippee was 3-for-5 with three total RBI. Lennington and Gandolfo each contributed a pair of hits.

Lennington hit an impressive .545 (6-of-11) in the three-game series. He hit one home run, two doubles, drove in four, and recorded 11 total bases. He also swiped a pair of bases.

Ryan Lenaburg suffered the loss and falls to 1-1 on the season. He pitched five complete innings, allowed six runs on seven hits, struck out two, and walked one. Alex Siddle and Greg Mosel combined for four innings of scoreless baseball out of the pen.

For Illinois State, Jack Landwehr (1-1) recorded the victory. Landwehr pitched five innings, allowed two runs on five hits, struck out four and walked four. Jake Sale was credited with his first save of the season for getting the final out of the game.

Southeast Missouri is slated to take on Arkansas State Wednesday in Jonesboro, Arkansas. First pitch against the Red Wolves is scheduled for 6 p.m.