Game One PDF Box Score
Game Two PDF Box Score

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Southeast Missouri baseball team split a doubleheader Sunday with Eastern Kentucky to open the Ohio Valley Conference portion of its schedule. The team dropped game one 5-1 but came back and won the nightcap and won quite handedly by a score of 12-6.

The Redhawks are now 5-8 overall on the season and begin conference play 1-1. Eastern Kentucky is 5-7 and also 1-1 in OVC play.

"After getting shut down in by a quality pitching performance from Logan Hershenow, it was nice to see our guys bounce back and have an explosive game two to even up the series," said head coach Steve Bieser. "We have a quick turnaround for game three but need to come out swinging and set the tone early." 

Eastern Kentucky 5, Southeast Missouri 1
Eastern Kentucky got a run out of Alex Winkelman early the game. A one-out walk led to an RBI single up the middle by TJ Alas to put the Colonels up 1-0 in the first inning.

Southeast wasted no time to answer back in the bottom of the inning. Trevor Ezell hit a ground rule double to left to lead off the inning. He advanced to third on a groundout and scored on sacrifice fly off the bat of Andy Lennington to tie the game at 1-1 going to the second inning.

The score remained all knotted up until the sixth inning when EKU recaptured the lead. Ben Fisher hit a sac fly to score from Alas to take a 2-1 lead on Southeast.

EKU extended the lead by a pair of runs in the seventh inning. A double by Mandy Alvarez plated a pair of runs. It would've plated another but the third runner was out at the plate. WInkelman's day was done after the two-run double. Ryan Lenaburg came in and struck out the final two outs to stop the bleeding.

EKU designated hitter Luke Wurzelbacher homered down the left field line to put the Colonels up 5-1 in the eighth.

The Redhawk offense recorded only five hits in game one of the doubleheader. Not one Redhawk hitter had a multi-hit game.

Alvarez finished 3-for-5 in game one for EKU. Shea Sullivan and Alas each had two hits in the game.

Winkelman (0-2) suffered the loss. He worked six and a third innings allowing four earned runs on seven hits. He struck out eight batters and walked five.

Logan Hershenow (1-3) picked up the victory. He worked seven innings and allowed one run on Southeast's five hits. Freshman Aaron Ochsenbein pitched two hitless innings for EKU and struck out five of the seven Redhawk hitters he faced.

Southeast Missouri 12, Eastern Kentucky 6
Southeast came out with vengeance in the first inning of game two with five runs. Ezell got the ball rolling with a bunt single to start the inning. Garett Gandolfo singled to put two runners on for Lennington. Lennington singled through the right side to plate Ezell and put Southeast on the board. Ryan Rippee then doubled to center field to plate Gandolfo. Dalton Hewitt executed a perfect safety squeeze bunt to plate another run for the Redhawks. Branden Boggetto drew a walk followed by Hunter Leeper dropping an RBI bunt that died just in fair territory to plate Rippee. Clayton Evans plated the fifth run of the inning with a single to right field. The Redhawks topped their hit total of game one in the first inning of game two alone with six hits.

EKU's Kyle Nowlin hit a leadoff home run in the second inning to put the Colonels on the board, 5-1.

Southeast Missouri put up a four-spot in the third inning. A pair a singles started it off for the Redhawks. Evans singled to right center to drive in Leeper. Down 6-1, EKU pulled starting pitcher Luke McGee for Brian Mroz. With runners on the corners, in an attempt to sacrifice bunt, Ezell reached on a hit and advanced on a throwing error by the pitcher, also driving in Brendon Neel. Lennington then singled to right to drive in another run. Hewitt drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 9-1 after only three innings.

EKU plated a pair in the fifth inning. Back-to-back leadoff doubles drove in one and the second scored on an RBI single by Nowlin. 9-3 Southeast.

Boggetto extended the lead in the sixth with a two-run jack, his second of the season, to bring the score to 11-3.

EKU tacked one on in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Wurzelbacher; 11-4 Redhawks.

Gandolfo scored on a Cole Ferguson sac fly to left in the seventh inning to make it 12-4.

EKU added two runs in the top of the eighth to narrow the Redhawk lead to 12-6.

Jacob Lawrence would come in to pitch the ninth inning and proceeded to strike out the side to end the game.

Southeast and Eastern Kentucky each posted 13 hits in the game. EKU had two errors.

Five total Redhawk hitters had two hits each in the game while four had two RBI.

Travis Hayes picked up his third win of the season as he climbs to 3-1. He pitched five innings, allowed three runs on seven hits. He struck out seven hitters and walked three. Southeast used five total pitchers in the game.

EKU starter Luke McGee pitched two innings before being knocked out of the game. He gave up eight runs on 10 hits to Southeast.

The rubber game of the three-game series will be at 1 p.m. from the campus of SIUE in Edwardsville.