CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri baseball (23-7, 7-2 OVC) secured the 3-0 series sweep of Ohio Valley Conference rival, Murray State (15-15, 1-8 OVC), with an 11-10 walk-off victory Sunday afternoon at Capaha Field.
The 3-0 sweep of Murray State is SEMO's second in league play this season.
An offensive slugfest for the entire afternoon, the two teams combined for 21 runs and 30 hits as the Redhawks continued to scratch across runs for the one run victory.
Trailing 10-9 in the bottom of the ninth, shortstop
Tyler Wilber hit a towering solo home run over the scoreboard in left field to even the game at 10.
Wilber finished the day, 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs and a RBI.
An
Andrew Keck triple off the right-center field wall then put the winning run 90-feet from the plate.
With one out in the frame, center fielder
Brett Graber smacked a single up the middle to score Keck and secure the walk-off victory.
Graber concluded Sunday, 3-for-5 hitting with two RBI and a run.
Murray State started the scoring in the third inning by putting up three runs.
Jake Slunder hit his first of three home runs on the day, a solo shot to right field.
Slunder led the Racers, going 3-for-5 with three runs and four RBI.
Back-to-back RBI doubles in the inning, extended the Murray State lead to 3-0.
The Racers would add two more runs in the fifth to increase their lead to 5-0 before the Redhawks got on the board. Slunder and Jacob Pennington combined for back-to-back jacks.
Designated hitter
Spencer Parker then hit a three-run homer to right field to get the Redhawks on the board in the fifth and cut the deficit to 5-3.
The long ball was the first for Parker, a junior from Lee's Summit, Missouri, in his career at SEMO.
A sacrifice fly from
Peyton Leeper put up the fourth SEMO run of the game (5-4), later that frame.
Murray State would then add four runs in the next inning off a two-run triple by right fielder Cade Sammons.
Slunders' third home run, a two-run shot, regrew the Racers advantage to 9-4.
From there the Redhawks would score runs in every inning but the eighth to chip away at the Racers lead.
In the sixth inning,
Ty Stauss hit a single to left to score
Lincoln Andrews. Parker added an infield single to score
Brett Graber and bring the margin to 9-6.
Jevon Mason then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Parker, and the Redhawks trailed 9-7 going to the seventh inning.
Murray State got a run back in the top of the seventh via an Alex Crump single to left field. Seth Gardner would come into score on the play, making it a 10-7 Racers advantage.
SEMO would respond with the next four runs to pull off the comeback.
In the bottom of the seventh, SEMO scored on a RBI groundout by
Lincoln Andrews and a Graber single to short that plated
Tyler Wilber and
Andrew Keck, respectively to make the deficit just one (10-9) heading to the ninth.
Tommy Windt started for SEMO, going four innings, allowing five runs on eight hits. He compiled five strikeouts.
SEMO then handed the game to its bullpen with
Anthony Klein,
Austin Williams,
Hunter Ralls,
Blake Cisneros and
Kyle Miller closing it out.
Miller earned the win to improve to 5-2 in 2022, allowing just one hit in a shutout inning of work.
Cisneros registered a pair of strikeouts, scattering a hit over 1.1 innings on the bump.
Malik Pogue was assessed the loss for Murray State. Starter Jacob Pennington went five innings, allowing four runs on five hits.
Keck and Parker both finished with two hits apiece. Parker knocked in four runs Sunday.
The Redhawks will next host regional rival Southern Illinois Tuesday, at 6 p.m., CT at Capaha Field.