PDF Box Score

CAPE GIRAREAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri baseball won game one of its three-game series at Eastern Illinois Friday, 21-1. It is Southeast's largest margin of victory this season. The Redhawks hit five home runs and had a season-high 23 hits in the contest.  

Southeast Missouri improves to 20-13 on the season and 12-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play, holding sole possession of first place in the league. Eastern Illinois falls to 2-25, 1-12 OVC.

The Redhawks offense was hot as each starter had at least a hit and scored at least a run. Trevor Ezell and Ryan Rippee each had four hits while Ezell scored five runs and reached base seven times. Garrett Gandolfo blasted two home runs and drove in six RBI.

Redhawk starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi pitched seven scoreless innings and improved to 5-1 on the season. He gave up EIU's lone run with two out in the eighth inning. He struck out five hitters Friday.

The Redhawk offense started firing immediately in the first inning. Ezell led off with a double that split the right-center followed by Jason Blum reaching on an error by the third baseman. Both runners scored when Gandolfo blasted his fourth home run of the season to left field, putting Southeast out in front 3-0 before an out was recorded in the game. Andy Lennington singled and later scored on the second Panther error of the inning. The Redhawks sent eight men to the plate in the inning and led 4-0 after one half inning of play.

Ezell blasted Southeast's second home run of the game with Clayton Evans on base in the second to extend the lead to 6-0 after two innings.

Southeast put up a six spot in the third inning thanks to an RBI double by Branden Boggetto, a two-RBI double by Evans, and back-to-back home runs by Gandolfo and Lennington capping the six-run inning for Southeast, extending the Redhawk lead to 12-0.

A sacrifice fly by Scott Mitchell scored Dalton Hewitt in the sixth to make it 13-0.

A four-run seventh inning extended the Redhawk lead to 17-0. Rippee, Blum, and Mitchell all had RBI hits in the inning.

Gandolfo drove in his sixth run of the game in the eighth inning to bring the score to 18-0.

Three-straight two-out singles by Eastern Illinois in the eighth put the Panthers on the board, 18-1.

In his first at bat of the day, Alex Burridge blasted his first career home run in the ninth inning. Burridge's home run was a three-run jack to left field, extending the Southeast lead 21-1.

Six total Redhawk hitters had multi-hit days while six had multi-RBI days.

Jacob Lawrence pitched an inning in relief in the ninth to close the game for Southeast.

Matt Wivinis (1-6) recorded the loss for EIU. He gave up 12 runs in five innings.

Game two of the series will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. Catch the game on SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM.