CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Southeast Missouri baseball team notched its 30^th victory of the season behind a 17-strikeout performance by left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi Thursday, defeating Murray State, 10-3.
 
Southeast is now 30-11 on the season and 19-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play. Murray State's four-game winning streak was snapped as the Racers fall to 21-22 and 9-10 OVC.
 
Lucchesi's 17 strikeouts sets a new career-high for the senior and also tied a school record set by John Holdner in 1961. It is the second-most by a Division I pitcher this season, second only to The Citadel's JP Sears' 19 strikeouts on March 25.

"That was quite a performance by Joey and it is exciting to see him get a game where he has had everything," head coach Steve Bieser began. "We saw it several times last season where he had all three pitches working for him and he could throw them for strikes. I can honestly say that even though he's pitched great this season, this is the first time he had all three pitches going."
 
Lucchesi improved to 8-3, pitched eight complete innings, allowed just one run on six hits, and walked only two. He no-hit the Racers through four innings and had faced the minimum up to the start of the fifth.
 
Brad Boegel (0-2) picked up the loss in his start. Boegel pitched three and two-thirds innings, allowed seven runs on six hits, walked four, and struck out three.
 
The Redhawks outhit the Racers 13-8 in the contest. Scott Mitchell led the way with a three-hit night and was on base four times. Nine of the Redhawks' 10 runs all came with two out in the inning.
 
"Our two-out run production has been the story of the season and it says a lot about our team's toughness," Bieser said. "When we get two outs against us, there is no one in our dugout that wants to be the third out. They are hungry to get at bats and hungry to get the next guy up."

Chris Osborne hit a mammoth home run to right field in the second inning to put Southeast on the board, 1-0. It was Osborne's team-leading 11^th home run of the season.
 
Trevor Ezell blasted a two-out home run in the third to extend the lead to 2-0. Dan Holst drew a walk then scored on a triple ripped to left center by Branden Boggetto. Southeast led 3-0 after three innings.
 
Southeast plated four runs, all with two out, in the bottom of the fourth inning to go up by a bunch on the Racers. With two on, Brian Lees singled through the left side to plate Chris Caffrey. A single to right by Ezell plated a pair of runs then Boggetto plated Ezell to go up 7-0 on Murray State.
 
Mitchell drove in Caffrey in the bottom of the fifth, adding to the Redhawk lead, 8-0.
 
Osborne drove in Boggetto with an infield single in the sixth, making it a 9-0 game.
 
Murray State loaded the bases with three straight hits in the top of the seventh. The first Racer run scored when Kipp Moore grounded into a 6-3 double play and breaking up Lucchesi's shutout; 9-1 Redhawks.
 
Southeast got the run back in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch that scored Mitchell; 10-1 Southeast.
 
The Racers tried to rally off Alex Siddle in the ninth, scoring two runs, but it wasn't enough in the end as the Redhawks shut down the rally and took game one, 10-3.
 
Garrett Gandolfo, Ezell, Boggetto, and Osborne all had two hits in Thursday evening's game. Gandolfo extended his hitting streak to 21 games while Osborne and Ezell extended their hitting streaks to 11 games. Ezell also drove in three runs in the game.
 
Ramsey Scott and Reed Thompson were the only Racers with two hits in the contest.
 
The Redhawks and Racers are slated to play game two on Friday at 6 p.m. The Bank of Missouri and River Eagle Distributing will provide another free tailgate at Friday's game.