CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. –
Austin Williams struck out four in two scoreless innings and Southeast Missouri (9-7, 3-1) used a four-run fourth inning to key a 6-3 series opening win over Austin Peay (3-12, 1-3) Friday night at Capaha Field.
Williams again pitched well in relief and earned his second save of the week when he struck out four of the seven hitters he faced. He recorded three of his strikeouts in the eighth inning.
Trailing 1-0 after three innings, SEMO scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. With runners on first and third,
Ty Stauss,
Connor Basler and
Peyton Leeper all walked.
Austin Blazevic scored on Basler's walk and
Danny Wright touched home on Leeper's.
Wade Stauss then singled home both T. Stauss and Basler to give SEMO a 4-1 advantage.
APSU quickly pulled to within a run in the top of the fifth inning scoring a pair of unearned runs with the help of two Redhawk errors.
That would be the last of the Governors scoring as SEMO manufactured two final tallies to put the Governors away in the bottom of the eighth.
Andrew Keck led things off with a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Blazevic moved Keck to third on a groundout to second. On the next play, Wright executed a suicide squeeze bunt to score Keck from third.
Braxton Zivic followed with a walk, stole both second and third base and scored on a throwing error by catcher Jack Alexander to polish off SEMO's 6-3 win.
SEMO won its fourth-straight game and seventh in its last nine contests.
Dylan Dodd (2-1) picked up the win. Dodd worked seven innings striking out eight and walking three along the way. He also walked three and allowed three runs, none of which were earned. Additionally, Dodd went over 150 strikeouts in his career.
Williams, after getting a six-out save at Saint Louis Tuesday, established a new career-high with his four strikeouts.
Harley Gollert (0-3) suffered the loss for the Governors. Golllert walked five and struck out three, while allowing four runs on four hits in four innings.
SEMO edged the APSU, 5-4, in the hit column. Blazevic went 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead the way. The Redhawks walked a season-high eight times in the contest.
The Redhawks and Governors conclude their series with a 2 p.m., CT doubleheader Saturday.
