OXFORD, Ala. – #2 Southeast Missouri (27-29) surrendered a season-high 25 hits in a 18-9 loss to #3 Morehead State (34-23) Thursday afternoon in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at Choccolocco Park.
SEMO will face #4 Jacksonville State in an elimination game Friday at 3 p.m., CT.
Pitching struggled and offense was hard to come by for the Redhawks from the start.
MSU used a five-run, six-hit second inning to help build a 7-0 lead in the first three frames.
SEMO starter Logan Spalt was chased after a short 1.1 innings where he gave up five runs on five hits.
The Eagles big second inning began with Eli Boggess reaching on an error. Jake Hammon, Niko Hulsizer, Braxton Morris and Trevor Snyder all added RBI-singles while Hunter Fain knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly.
MSU continued to pour it on scoring at least twice in four more innings.
SEMO managed to cut the Eagles lead to 12-6 after scoring four runs in the fifth inning and two in the sixth. That, however, was as close as it would get.
In the fifth, Devon Wilson ripped a RBI-single and Peyton Faulkner walked in a run with the bases loaded. The Redhawks other two runs came when Hulsizer dropped a fly ball in left field.
Wilson delivered another run-scoring hit, this time on a double down the left field line and Alex Nielsen scored Wilson on a pinch-hit infield single.
SEMO scored the final three runs of the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Trevor Ezell hit a solo home run and Justin Dirden launched a two-run shot to right center.
Spalt fell to 2-2 this season following the loss.
Five others, including Ryan Losman, Cody Creed, Wesley Pyles, Matthew Wade and Chase Hagerty pitched after Spalt exited the game.
Cory Conway (7-3) was credited with the win in a short relief appearance. Conway had a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
Offensively, SEMO finished with nine hits after being no-hit through the first four innings.
Tristen Gagan and Wilson each went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI to lead the way.
Seven of MSU's nine starters had multiple hits. Reid Leonard went 5-for-6 with two runs in the leadoff spot, while Niemann and Hammon followed close behind with four hits each. Those three combined for half of the Eagles runs, as well.
The 25 hits were the most an opponent had in a game against SEMO since Murray State notched 26 on Apr. 10, 2009.
