NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Opening weekend of the 2017 Southeast Missouri baseball (2-2) season came to a close Sunday with a 3-1 Redhawk victory over Stephen F. Austin (2-1).
 
In his Redhawk debut, starter Nate Green (1-0) earned his first career win. Green worked five complete innings, allowing SFA's only run on five hits.
 
Carlos Vega made his second appearance of the weekend on the mound for Southeast. Vega was sharp, pitching three scoreless innings, allowing jut one hit, struck out three, and walked none.
 
Matthew Wade picked up his second save of the weekend after pitching a perfect ninth inning, including earning a strikeout.
 
Patrick Ledet (0-1), who beat the Redhawks a season ago, recorded the loss on Sunday. Ledet pitched five innings and gave up all three SEMO runs. He was the first of eight pitchers used by the Lumberjacks.
 
Southeast put up nine total hits on Sunday and were led by a three-hit day by Dan Holst, tying a career best. Holst knocked a pair of triples and scored twice. First baseman Tristen Gagan was the only other Redhawk with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 
Holst led off the third inning with his second hit of the weekend, a single into right field. Connor Basler laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Holst up. After a fly out that allowed Holst to advance to third, Clayton Evans knocked a two-out line drive base hit into left, allowing Holst to touch home and putting SEMO on the board, 1-0.
 
The Lumberjacks immediately tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Nick Ramos hit a double into the right center gap, scoring Tyler Kendrick all the way from first. After three innings, the game was tied 1-1.
 
On the first pitch of his at bat in the fifth inning, Holst blasted a triple into right field to lead off the frame. Basler singled up the middle for his first collegiate hit, scoring Holst and putting SEMO back up, 2-1. A two-out walk to Evans was followed by a double to left center off the bat of Gagan, scoring Evans all the way from first and widening the lead to 3-1 on the Lumberjacks.  
 
The combo of Vega and Wade out of the pen held the Jacks to just one hit the remainder of the game.
 
SFA had two-hit performances from Alex Hrinevich and Kendrick. The pair were responsible for two-thirds of SFA's six total hits.
 
Southeast Missouri will open the 2017 home schedule this Friday when it begins a three-game series with Western Illinois. First pitch from Capaha Field will be at 3 p.m.