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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Southeast Missouri baseball team had quite the homecoming Friday afternoon as they defeated the UT Martin (4-14, 2-5 OVC) Skyhawks, 16-2. It was the first home game for Southeast since February 14.
 
The Redhawks have now won seven of their last ten as they improve to 11-9 overall and 5-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
 
Southeast scored in all but two innings in the game. Their 16 runs scored was a new season-high for the offense.
 
Southeast pegged UT Martin for three runs in the first inning. Trevor Ezell extended his on base streak to 20 games with a double to lead off the game for the Redhawks. After Jason Blum walked, Ezell and Blum executed a double steal to put both runners in scoring position.  A double down the left field line by Andy Lennington plated both runners. Lennington scored on a base hit by Dalton Hewitt.
 
Designated hitter Brendon Neel led off the second inning with a monster home run to left field, his second of the season. Hunter Leeper scored later in the inning on a groundout by Ezell. Southeast led 5-0 after two innings.
 
The Redhawks put up another three spot in the third inning. Branden Boggetto homered to left field with Hewitt on base to extend the lead to 7-0. Neel scored on a one-out single by Clayton Evans to make it 8-0.
 
The Skyhawks scored their only runs of the game in the top of the fourth inning. Matt Hursch hit a single up the middle to score Nick Gavello and Mike Murphy, 8-2 Redhawks.
 
Neel plated Ryan Rippee in the bottom of the inning to bring the score to 9-2. The Redhawks would strand the bases loaded in the inning.
 
Three-straight walks to start the sixth inning loaded the bases for Southeast. Leeper drew the fourth-straight walk to push Hewitt in. Evans then blasted a grand slam, the first of the season for Southeast, down the left field line off new UT Martin pitcher Dillon Symon. The Redhawks led 14-2 after six innings.
 
With bases loaded for Lennington in the eighth inning, Lennington drove a double to left center, scoring Ezell and Alex Burridge, bringing the final score to 16-2.
 
Southeast scored their 16 runs on 13 hits. Although the Skyhawks made two errors, all 16 runs were earned against five Skyhawk pitchers.
 
Evans finished 2-for-3 with five RBI. Aside from Evans, four other Redhawks contributed a pair of hits each. All nine Redhawk starters scored at least one run in the game. Lennington finished with four RBI.
 
The Redhawks also drew a season-high 12 walks in the game; three of which were drawn by Blum.
 
Southeast stole a season-best five bases. Leeper, the starting catcher for the Redhawks, was 3-for-3 on gunning down Skyhawk runners from behind the plate.
 
Travis Hayes (4-2) picked up the win after seven innings of work Friday. He gave up two runs on seven hits. He struck out seven to tie a season-high and walked the only Skyhawk batter of the game. Ryan Lenaburg pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
 
Taylor Douglas and Gavello had the only multi-hit games with two hits each for UT Martin.
 
Skyhawk starter Daniel Shaw (0-2) recorded the loss. He pitched two and a third innings, surrendering eight runs on seven hits. He also walked five batters.
 
Game two of the series will be Saturday at 2 p.m. Alex Winkelman will face off against Carter Smith on the mound.