CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri baseball (5-4) fell in game two of its series to Purdue University (5-4) Saturday afternoon, 13-5.
 
A hefty crowd of 2,216 were on hand at Capaha Field for the showdown as well as the first tailgate of the season. The tailgate was sponsored by Jimmy John's and River Eagle Distributing.
 
After being held to no runs and four hits in game one, the Redhawk offense showed a little more life on Saturday, scattering eight hits and plating five runs.
 
Clayton Evans, Tristen Gagan, and Chris Caffrey all had two hits in the game. Chris Osborne and Gagan each had a pair of RBI.
 
Redhawk starter Robert Beltran retired only two batters before leaving Saturday's start. He allowed four runs on five hits to Purdue before exiting in the first inning. Beltran would get a no decision in the game.
 
Southeast used a total of six pitchers. Ryan Losman (0-1) recorded the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the top of the fourth. Carlos Vega pitched a game-long four innings and struck out six hitters. As a whole, the pitching staff allowed just one walk.
 
Gareth Stroh (1-1) picked up the win on the mound for Purdue. He pitched six innings in the start, allowing all five runs on seven hits. Dalton Parker (2) entered to pitch a three-inning save. Parker gave up only one hit and fanned six Redhawk hitters.
 
Five-straight hits in the top of the first pushed four runs across the plate for the Boilermakers. Beltran exited with two out in the opening stanza. Jared Waldhoff entered and retired the lone batter he faced to end the inning. Purdue led 4-0 after the first half inning.
 
As quickly as Purdue jumped out to a lead, the Redhawk offense began chipping away at it. Dan Holst extended his on base streak by drawing a one-out walk in the bottom of the first. Gagan stepped in and blasted his third home run of the season over the wall in right to slice the lead in half, 4-2.
 
A fielding error committed by Caffrey opened the door for an unearned Purdue run in the top of the third to widen the lead to 5-2 on Southeast.
 
Southeast dialed up the two-out production in the bottom of the third. It started when Gagan drew a two-out walk followed by an infield hit on a chopper down the third base line by Caffrey. Kylar Robertson laced a double down the left field line to plate Gagan. Osborne poked a single through the right side to plate both runners, tying the game at five runs apiece.
 
The game was tied for only a short period as Harry Shipley led off the fourth with a solo home run to go back up on the Redhawks. After another Redhawk pitching change the Boilermakers scored on an RBI single by Logan Poisall. Purdue led Southeast 7-5 after three and a half.
 
A pair of two-run home runs by the Boilermakers in the top of the eighth widened the lead by a bunch to 11-5 on the Redhawks.
 
John LeGare blasted another Boilermaker two-run home run in the ninth inning to complete the scoring, 13-5.
 
Mike Medej, Alec Olund, and Poisall all had three hits for Purdue while Olund and Poisall drove in three runs each. The top five of the Boilermaker lineup all touched home at least twice on Saturday. Purdue out hit SEMO, 16-8.
 
Southeast Missouri will look to salvage a game of this three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Capaha. RHP Justin Murphy will take the mound for the Redhawks.