NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Southeast Missouri baseball (1-1) split a doubleheader on opening day in Nacogdoches, Texas on Friday, defeating UT Arlington 4-3 and falling to Stephen F. Austin 3-2 in the nightcap.
 
The season-opening win was the first career victory for first-year head coach Andy Sawyers.
 
Southeast Missouri 4, UT Arlington 3
A three-run fifth inning put the Redhawks on top of the Mavericks 4-2. The pitching staff was able to hold UTA and preserve the lead en route to the season-opening win.
 
Clay Chandler (1-0) picked up the win on the mound after six and two-thirds innings of work. He allowed two runs on seven hits while fanning three and walking a pair.
 
Matthew Wade earned the save for the Redhawks after entering in the eighth facing a bases-loaded, one out situation. He pitched the final one and two-thirds innings en route to his fifth career save.
 
Kadon Simmons (0-1) recorded the loss for Arlington. Simmons worked five innings, allowing all four Redhawk runs on 10 hits. He struck out four batters and walked one.
 
Southeast had a trio of Redhawks record two hits each including Trevor Ezell, Chris Osborne, and newcomer Kyle Bottger.
 
The Mavericks were the first to touch home against the Redhawks in 2017 when Noah Vaughan blasted a two-run home run to dead center field with Will Olsen on base. UTA led 2-0 going to the bottom of the fourth inning.
 
SEMO wasted no time narrowing the deficit in the bottom of the frame. Osborne recorded his second hit of the game, this time a double ripped into right center. Osborne tagged up on a fly out to right off the bat of Brian Lees and come in to score on an RBI single by Chris Caffrey poked through the left side. Southeast had three hits in the inning.
 
A three-run fifth inning gave the Redhawks their first lead of the 2017 season. The Redhawks loaded the bases with no out on base hits by Ezell and Tristen Gagan and a walk to Dan Holst. Kylar Robertson tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Ezell. Lees followed with a two-out, two-run triple to right field, putting Southeast up 4-2 on the Mavericks.  
 
Newcomer Carlos Vega entered to pitch for Southeast in the top of the eighth inning. The Mavericks loaded the bases with one out. A single to center by Josh Minjarez plated a run to cut the SEMO lead to 4-3. Wade marched in from the pen, facing bases loaded with one out. Wade got Phil Berthiaume to hit into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play to preserve the lead in the Redhawks' favor.
 
Like the Redhawks, the Mavericks had three players record two hits apiece in the season opener.
  
Stephen F. Austin 3, Southeast Missouri 2
Two errors by each team were the name of the game in Friday's nightcap and the four errors resulted in unearned runs for both teams.
 
Robert Beltran (0-1) suffered the Friday evening loss on the mound. He worked five innings, allowing all three SFA runs, two earned, on six hits. He fanned four and walked two.
 
Cape Girardeau native Chase Hagerty made his collegiate debut on the mound Friday. The redshirt-freshman faced nine hitters in three complete innings, retiring all nine batters including earning four strikeouts.
 
Trevor Kiminski (1-0) earned the win for the Lumberjacks in five and a third innings. He allowed both Redhawk runs, one earned, on just two hits. He struck out five SEMO players and walked just two.
 
Stephen F. Austin used seven total pitchers on opening night. The final pitcher, Tyler Starks, pitched a perfect ninth inning en route to his first save of the season.
 
Redhawks' designated hitter Robertson was responsible for two of SEMO's three hits, finishing 2-for-4 in the contest.
 
Much like game one of the day, the Redhawks' opponent was the first to touch home with a pair of runs. Gavin Gregory reached on a throwing error by Caffrey that also allowed Clark Kahawaii to score and go up 1-0. Gregory came around to score on an RBI single by Nick Ramos, going up 2-0 on the Redhawks after three complete innings.
 
In the top of the fourth, Southeast loaded the bases with no out. In his first at bat as a Redhawk, Aiden McMahan hit into an RBI fielder's choice that the second baseman threw behind the shortstop covering for the double play, allowing another run to score and tying the game at 2-2.
 
Zac Michener homered to centerfield to break the tie and score the would-be game winner in the bottom of the fifth and go up by one on the Redhawks, 3-2.
 
The Redhawk offense was stymied after that, getting just a single hit to fall.
 
Michener finished 2-for-4 including his game-winning home run to lead the Jacks to victory on opening night.
 
Southeast Missouri will be back in action Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against the Mavericks of UT Arlington. RHP Justin Murphy make his first start as a Redhawk on the mound.