CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southern Illinois (22-20) plated five ninth-inning runs to erase a three-run Southeast Missouri lead to ultimately down the Redhawks, 7-5.
Southeast now sits at 21-18 on the season and suffers only its fifth home loss of the season.
The Redhawks were outhit 13-7 in the contest.
Brian Lees was the lone Redhawk with multiple hits, finishing with two hits, one of which was a triple.
Chris Caffrey drove in two runs with his fourth home run of the season.
In his first Redhawk start,
Chase Hagerty pitched three and a third innings, allowing two Saluki runs on four hits. He fanned two and walked two. Pitching in relief,
Robert Beltran worked three and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing just three hits. He tied a season-high six strikeouts while allowing just one walk.
Jared Waldhoff (1-2) suffered the loss after allowing the go-ahead run to reach in the ninth.
Jamison Steege worked five innings in his start on the mound for Southern Illinois, allowing three runs on four hits. He fanned four hits and allowed no free bases to the Redhawks.
Austin McPheron (5-3) earned the win as the pitcher of record in the ninth. Ryan Netemeyer earned his 13
th save of the season after closing the ninth.
The Redhawk bats came alive in the bottom of the second to take a quick lead on the Salukis. Following a triple off the wall in center by Lees, Caffrey stepped in and hit his fourth home run of the season over the wall in left to go up 2-0. For the first time this season, Southeast went back-to-back over the wall as
Danny Wright hit his third homer to dead center off the hitter's eye to make it 3-0 in SEMO's favor.
Southern Illinois got a run back in the top of the third when a leadoff hit batsman came in to score on a groundout to second by Logan Blackfan, 3-1.
Will Farmer hit a leadoff solo home run down the left field line in the top of the fourth to cut the Redhawk lead to 3-2.
Southeast scored a much-needed run in the bottom of the eight, its first since the second frame. Pinch running for Caffrey on the base paths at second base and two out,
Clayton Evans came around to score on a single to short by
Connor Basler to make it 4-2 in the Redhawks' favor.
Dan Holst extended his on-base streak to 27 games by drawing a two-out walk in the bottom of the eighth inning. The speedy Holst scored all the way from first on a double ripped down the left field line by
Tristen Gagan, extending the lead to 5-2.
Back-to-back one-out doubles by Ryan Smith and Greg Lambert scored the first ninth-inning run for Southern. Blackfan stepped in and tied the game with one swing with a two-run home run to right center, 5-5. Waldhoff entered and loaded the bases on two walks and an infield single. Jake Hand poked a base hit up the middle, plating two more runs and giving the Salukis a 7-5 lead.
Daniel Bergtholdt entered to pitch and fanned both hitters he faced to end the inning.
Netemeyer entered and allowed two walks to leadoff the inning but snuffed the Redhawk offense in the end en route to the save.
Lambert finished 3-for-5, all of which were doubles.
The Redhawks will welcome Ohio Valley Conference leaders Tennessee Tech to Capaha Field for a three-game series this weekend. The series is scheduled to begin Friday under the lights at 6 p.m.
