CHARLESTON, S.C. – Southeast Missouri (0-1) dropped its season-opener to the College of Charleston (0-1) by a score of 6-3 Friday afternoon at Patriots Park.

SEMO immediately went to work against CofC starting left-hander Evan Sisk in the top of the first inning. 

Trevor Ezell drove the game's first pitch for a single through the right side and stole second. After Alex Nielsen flied out to right, Danny Wright and Chase Urhahn were both hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. On the next play, Preseason All-American Tristen Gagan walked and Ezell scored the Redhawks first run of the season. Hunter Southerland followed with a double to right center scoring both Wright and Urhahn to put SEMO ahead, 3-0.

CofC got on the board in the bottom of the second with the help of a leadoff triple by Danny Wondrack. Wright covered a lot of ground and crashed into the wall as the ball dropped safely into left center. Wondrack touched home on an ensuing sacrifice fly by Bradley Dixon. With two outs, eight-hole hitter Ari Sechopoulos hit his first home run of the season over the wall in right center making it a 3-2 contest.

Despite his rocky first inning, Sisk had his way with the Redhawks until he gave way to Carter Love in the seventh. Sisk threw five scoreless, no-hit innings and retired the last 11 hitters he faced before exiting the game. Gagan was the only Southeast baserunner in that stretch when he drew a two-out walk in the top of the third.

With Sisk settled in on the mound, the Cougars managed to tie the game in the fifth inning. 

Sechopoulos doubled to center and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Luke Manzo. Dupree Hart flied out to center to score Sechopoulos knotting things up at 3-3.

A throwing error and a passed ball resulted in a pair of unearned runs allowing CofC to take the lead an inning later.

Luke Morgan started the inning by getting on base thanks to SEMO's mishap. Logan McRae singled through the left side and scored the go-ahead run on K.J. Bryant's double down the left field line. A passed ball on a strikeout by Sechopoulos allowed McRae to score the other unearned run giving the Cougars a 5-3 advantage.

CofC polished off its opening day win with one final run on a one-out RBI-single by Bryant in the bottom of the eighth.      

Sisk (1-0) nailed down the win, allowing just two hits in six innings. He also struck out five and walked two. 

Offensively, the Cougars outhit the Redhawks, 10-4, with Morgan, McRae, Wondrack, Bryant and Sechopoulos contributing two hits apiece.

Christian Vick (0-1) took the loss. Vick gave up three runs on five hits, walked one and struck out three in three innings. He relieved right-hander Joey Burris who scattered five hits, struck out two and allowed three runs in the first weekend start of his career.

Ezell went 2-for-4 with a run scored at the top of the Redhawks order. Today's game marked Ezell's first start since Feb. 26, 2017. 

Newcomers Southerland and Justin Dirden added SEMO's other hits.

The Redhawks resume their series against the Cougars Saturday at 1 p.m., CT.