CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri baseball (4-6) split its afternoon doubleheader against Illinois State (3-5) Saturday at Capaha Field. The Redhawks opened the doubleheader with a 5-1 victory before the Redbirds responded with a 13-1 win in the second contest of the day.
SEMO opened Saturday's doubleheader against Illinois State with a 5-1 victory. The Redhawks benefited from a four-run third inning keyed by back-to-back home runs to right center.
After a sacrifice fly from
Tyler Wilber in the bottom of the first, SEMO widened its margin in the third frame.
Wilber and
Austin Blazevic opened the inning with consecutive singles to set the stage for
Wade Stauss. Stauss then blasted a three-run shot to right center to make the Redhawks edge, 4-0.
Designated hitter
Lincoln Andrews capped the inning with a solo home run to more or less the exact same spot in right center over the party deck onto Parkview Street. The homer was Andrew's first in his career as a Redhawk.
Jeremy Gaines singled home Jake McCaw in the fourth for Illinois State's lone run of the game.
Noah Niznik pitched a complete-game with four strikeouts. He surrendered eight hits and one earned run for the win in seven innings of action.
Jordan Lussier was handed the loss, conceding all five SEMO runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts. He was relieved for Jack Anderson after three innings.
Wilber led the Redhawks in game one, going 2-for-2 with a RBI.
Peyton Leeper, Blazevic, Stauss and Andrews each tallied hits.
ISU's Jordan Libman (2-4), Aidan Huggins (2-3) and McCaw (2-3) each chipped in a pair of hits as the Redbirds outhit SEMO, 8-6.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Illinois State offense exploded for 13 runs on 16 hits to defeat the Redhawks 13-1.
The Redbirds posted a crooked number of five on the scoreboard in the first inning. SEMO starter
Joey Kossina was pulled during the frame for
Bryce Grossius after allowing four runs on five hits.
ISU concluded the first inning with a home run by Tyson Hays.
SEMO got on the scoreboard in the fourth on a RBI groundout to second from Wilber.
With a 7-1 advantage, the Redbirds added six insurance runs in the fifth to finish the contest with a 13-1 victory.
Libman hit a three-run homer to right after a RBI basehit by Luke Cheng.
Jack Butler and Joe Butler who are not related then tallied consecutive hits to plate two more Redbirds.
Fischer Rausch then closed out the final two innings for SEMO in his Redhawks debut after
Joseph Karall came on in relief. The 6-5, 235-lbs freshman from St. Louis, Missouri, finished the game with five strikeouts and allowed just one hit.
Sean Sinisko earned the win for ISU, with a 7.0 inning complete-game. He allowed just four hits and one earned run while fanning seven Redhawks.
Jack Butler finished 3-for-5 hitting and Hays was 3-for-4 with a long ball. Libman, Joe Butler, Ryan Cermak and Luke Cheng each collected two hits.
Peyton Leeper, Wilber and
Andrew Keck each had hits for the Redhawks.
SEMO concludes the four-game series with ISU Sunday at 1 p.m., CT at Capaha Field.
