NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Southeast Missouri baseball (1-2) held a three-run lead through five and a half innings but UT Arlington (1-2) put up five unanswered runs to take down the Redhawks on Saturday, 5-3.
 
In his first game since the 2015 season, Clayton Evans recorded a pair of hits and was on base four times in his start in left. Brian Lees also scattered a pair of hits in the game, finishing 2-for-3.
 
Justin Murphy made his first career start on the mound for the Redhawks Saturday, pitching six complete innings and striking out five hitters, both career highs. Murphy threw a very efficient 86 pitches into the seventh. Unfortunately, he suffered a no decision in the contest after allowing the tying runs to reach in the seventh inning.
 
Reliever Adam Pennington (0-1) suffered the loss after giving up the go-ahead run in the seventh. In all, SEMO used six pitchers in Saturday's game.
 
The win went to Maverick reliever Jud Kinzy (1-0). Starter Jakob Hernandez exited the game after four and two-thirds innings of work.
 
The Redhawks struggled to get hits in key opportunities against UTA, stranding 14 runners on base. Southeast was issued 12 free bases on 10 walks and two hit batsmen.
 
After committing two errors in each game on opening day Friday, Southeast played a flawless defensive game Saturday.
 
The Redhawks' homerun leader from a season ago Chris Osborne recorded the first jack of the 2017 season with a two-run blast to left field in the top of the third to put SEMO ahead 2-0.
 
With bases loaded and no out, Tristen Gagan knocked a sacrifice fly out to left, his first Redhawk RBI, allowing Connor Basler to tag up and score from third. The Redhawks held a 3-0 shutout going to the bottom of the sixth.
 
Quintin Rohrbaugh sent a two-out solo homerun over the wall in left to put the Mavericks on the board in the sixth, cutting into the SEMO lead, 3-1.
 
Murphy allowed a pair of walks to begin the bottom of the seventh inning, prompting a call to the pen for Pennington. Following a sac bunt to move the runners into scoring position, a two-run double by Josh Minjarez tied the game at three runs apiece. After three pitching changes by the Redhawks, Brady Cox singled off the third base bag, allowing the go-ahead run to cross home and holding a 4-3 advantage over Southeast after seven innings.  
 
UTA added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI single by Omar Salinas, widening the lead to 5-3.
 
Rohrbaugh finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored while Salinas also had two hits with a run scored and an RBI.
 
Southeast will look to finish even in the tournament with an 11 a.m. game against Stephen F. Austin on Sunday.