CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Brett Graber hit a two-out three-RBI triple to lead Southeast Missouri (20-7) to an 8-5 win over Sun Belt Conference member Arkansas State (5-21) Tuesday night at Capaha Field.
Graber lifted SEMO to its 20th win of the season and 14th-straight at home, where the Redhawks remain undefeated. The Redhawks became the first Ohio Valley Conference team to 20 victories in 2022.
SEMO held a 5-0 lead, but ASU scored four times in the sixth and added another run to tie the game in the top of the seventh.
The Redhawks, however, kept their poise and responded quickly during their turn in the seventh.
Jevon Mason reached on a one-out error and moved into scoring position on a two-out single by
Tyler Wilber. After Mason and Wilber advanced on a wild pitch,
Andrew Keck walked to load the bases. Graber, behind 1-2 in the count, then tripled to right to clear the bases and put SEMO ahead, 8-5.
After
Blake Cisneros kept the Red Wolves off the scoreboard in the eighth,
Kyle Miller came on and pitched a perfect ninth to nail down his team-best six save.
SEMO erupted for four runs on five-straight one-out hits in the bottom of the third inning.
Ben Palmer started the string of hits with a single to right field. Mason and
Peyton Leeper each followed with a home run. Wilber and Keck both doubled after that giving the Redhawks a 4-0 advantage.
Danny Sperling reached on a one-out single in the home half of the fourth and went to third with the help of an error. Palmer knocked in Sperling on a sacrifice fly to increase SEMO's margin to 5-0.
Right-hander
Bryce Grossius gave the Redhawks a nice start working four scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Grossius allowed four hits and retired ASU in order in the second.
Freshman
Ethan Osborne (1-1) picked up his first career win out of the bullpen. Osborne threw 1.1 scoreless innings with one strikeout.
Austin Brock (0-1) took the loss for ASU. Brock gave up three runs (all unearned) on two hits and struck out three in two innings.
Mason and Wilber both went 2-for-4 with two runs to lead SEMO which finished with nine hits. Graber, Leeper, Keck, Sperling and Palmer added one hit apiece.
This year marked the quickest SEMO has reached 20 wins in a season under Head Coach
Andy Sawyers. Tonight's 20th win came 25 days earlier than it did for the Redhawks a year ago.
Additionally, ASU became the sixth team SEMO swept this season. The Redhawks posted sweeps in five of their first seven series this year.
SEMO returns to OVC action when it hosts Murray State in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m., CT.
