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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Down by five in the ninth inning Sunday, Southeast Missouri baseball put a four-run rally together but ultimately fell short in game three, falling to Tennessee Tech, 11-10.
With the loss, Southeast dropped their first Ohio Valley Conference series of the season. The Redhawks are now 30-17 on the season and 20-7 in OVC play. Tennessee Tech improves to 22-23, 13-11 OVC.
Sunday's game was also the final game at Capaha Field. The Redhawks finish 14-5 at home this season.
Prior to first pitch, Southeast Missouri celebrated 13 seniors. The 13 seniors recognized were Ryan Barnes, Jason Blum, Alex Burridge, Cole Ferguson, Nolan Fisher, Travis Hayes, Dalton Hewitt, Ryan Lenaburg, Andy Lennington, Perry Middleton, Greg Mosel, Brendon Neel, and Garret Stockton.
With two out in the bottom of the first inning for Southeast, Garrett Gandolfo drew a walk and scored from first on a double to right-centerfield by Lennington. Southeast led 1-0 after the opening frame.
Tennessee Tech used an RBI groundout by Chase Chambers and an RBI base hit up the middle by Trevor Putzig to find a 2-1 lead on Southeast Missouri in the top of the second.
The Redhawks got both runs back in the bottom of the inning with some more two-out production. With two out, Branden Boggetto and Neel each had a base hit. Trevor Ezell hit a high, hanging fly ball to left-center that the centerfielder made a fantastic catch on but dropped at the last second, allowing both runs to score and recapturing a 3-2 lead on Tennessee Tech.
With bases loaded and two out in the fourth, Blum singled through the left side, scoring Scott Mitchell and Ryan Rippee and widening the lead to 5-2.
Lennington led off the fifth inning with a double to right center; he advanced to third on a wild pitch. Hewitt drove in Lennington with a single to right center. Southeast held a 6-2 lead after five innings.
A six-run sixth inning by Tennessee Tech put the Golden Eagles ahead 8-6. David Allen hit a two-out grand slam in the inning.
A Tennessee Tech run in the eighth inning and two in the ninth extended the lead to 11-6 on Southeast.
The Redhawks weren't going down without a fight in the ninth inning. Blum reached on a throwing error by Dylan Bosheers to start the inning. Lennington and Hewitt followed it up with one-out base hits to load the bases. After Rippee struck out, Mitchell poked a base hit up the middle to plate Lennington and Blum. Boggetto drilled a double off the left-centerfield wall to score pinch runner Hunter Leeper and Hewitt, narrowing the lead to one run. Neel popped up over the pitcher's mound to end the game. All four runs in the inning were unearned due to the leadoff error.
Southeast outhit Tennessee Tech 12-11 in the game while the Golden Eagles committed two errors.
Lennington went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI Sunday. Hewitt and Boggetto had two hits each while four total Redhawks had two RBI apiece.
Alex Winkelman suffered a no decision in his start. Winkelman pitched five and two-thirds innings. He allowed six runs on as many hits while striking out eight and walking four. Matthew Wade (3-1) suffered the loss. Wade allowed the go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning. Wade pitched two and two-third innings, giving up five runs on five hits.
Putzig finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Allen finished with five RBI in the game and went 2-for-5 with two runs.
TTU starter Jacob Honea pitched three innings. Jeb Scoggins (3-1) picked up the win in relief. He worked five and two-thirds innings, allowing five runs, only one earned, on six hits. Scoggins struck out 10 Redhawk batters. Kyle Godwin picked up his first save after coming in and recording the final out of the game.
The Redhawks return to action Tuesday to begin their seven-game road swing to close the regular season. The Redhawks take on Southeastern Conference and in-state foe Missouri at 6 p.m. in Columbia, Missouri. The game can be seen live on the SEC Network Plus.
