BEAUMONT, Texas - The Southeast Missouri baseball team (0-1) fell to Lamar University (1-0) Friday evening in the season opener, 2-1.

"Tonight's game was a good ole fashion pitchers duel," head coach Steve Bieser said. "Joey Lucchesi had a little difficulty settling in early but did an outstanding job of pitching out of a major jam in the third to keep us in the game. We had our chances but we had too many strikeouts in key situations. Offensively, we were trying too hard and over swinging. We will try to come out tomorrow and make the necessary adjustments."

The Redhawks finished with five hits in the game behind Branden Boggetto's two-hit night.

Both starting pitchers worked six complete innings on opening night. Redhawk starter Lucchesi (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing two runs in the bottom of the third. Lucchesi allowed four hits. He struck out nine Cardinal hitters.

Cardinal starter Will Hibbs (1-0) earned the victory. Hibbs allowed three hits in six innings allowing one run. Hibbs fanned eight Redhawk hitters. Enriqe Oquendo earned the save, pitching one and two-thirds innings to close the game and preserving the 2-1 Lamar lead.

Lamar's offense was the first to come alive after two and a half innings of perfect baseball by Lucchesi and Hibbs.

Lucchesi allowed a leadoff walk to Brendan Arredondo to begin the bottom of the third. A one-out balk was followed by a single through the left by Brendan Satran to put runners on the corners. Stijn van der Meer singled through the right side to drive in Arredondo and break the scoreless tie. Cutter McDowell hit a bases-loaded, one-out single to left to bring Satran in and go up 2-0 on Southeast. Lucchesi fanned the next two batters to get out of the inning.

The Redhawks touched home for the first time in 2016 in the top of the fifth. Ryan Rippee drilled a two-out triple down the right field line. Rippee immediately scored on a wild pitch to touch home and cut the lead to 2-1.

Southeast Missouri found themselves with basses juiced with two out but came up empty in the top of the seventh frame.

Hunter Leeper and Trevor Ezell, representing the tying and go-ahead runs, found themselves on second and third in the top of the eighth with two out. A strikeout by Boggetto ended the inning, leaving the two on base.

Jacob Lawrence pitched an inning and two-thirds in relief Friday. Lawrence allowed one hit and one walk. Brady Wright struck out the only batter he faced in the bottom of the eight.

Aside from Boggetto's two-hit night, three other Redhawks all contributed a hit. Newcomers Dan Holst and Daniel Costello each picked up their first hits in a Redhawk uniform.

In all, Southeast struck out 13 times in the game; however, the Redhawk pitching staff struck out 10 Cardinal batters.

McDowell was the only Cardinal hitter with a multi-hit night going 2-for-4.

The Redhawks and Cardinals are slated for game two at 2 p.m. on Saturday.