CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri (10-12) used fourteen innings to down Western Illinois (3-16) on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 8-7 in a game that last four hours and 50 minutes to complete the series sweep.
With the game tied at 6-6, WIU's short stop Derek Botaletto singled to left field to plate J.R. Heavilin to give the Leathernecks a 7-6 lead heading to the bottom of the inning.
The Redhawks'
Peyton Leeper singled to right field to put the game-tying run-on base with one out in the bottom of 14. Right fielder
Carlos Aranda hit a shot to the left center field gap that one hopped the wall, plating Leeper after he stole second base during the at-bat.
Third baseman
Chance Resetich delivered the game winning hit after Aranda's double with a single up the middle off Leathernecks' Chase Golden (0-1) to plate Aranda.
Resetich finished the day going 2-for-5 at the plate, including a double and an RBI.
Carlos Aranda was 3-for-6 at the dish with the fourteenth inning double and a pair of RBIs to pace the Redhawks offense.
The Leathernecks and Redhawks each scored a run in the first inning. A Heavilin single off
Haden Dow in the first inning plated center fielder Nick Mitchell to give WIU a 1-0 advantage.
Back-to-back walks in the home first from Aranda and Resetich, a sacrifice bunt by
Josh Cameron, put Redhawks on second and third with just one out in the inning.
WIU starting pitcher Mitchel Sampson threw a wild pitch to give SEMO its first run of the game to tie it at 1-1.
Western Illinois scored two runs in the third, one in the fourth, and another pair in the fifth inning. Heavilin and designated hitter Jack Sievers finished Sunday's contest with a pair of RBIs each.
The Redhawks scored a single run in innings three through seven as the game was tied at 6-6 heading to the eighth inning.
The game turned into a pitching duel as RHP
Kyle Miller had his longest outing of the season, beginning in the eighth inning. Miller faced 22 WIU batters fanning three and allowed just four hits in 5.2 innings.
An error on Resetich in the top of the 14
th inning allowed Heavilin to reach base who came around to score for the seventh run of the WIU afternoon off Miller. LHP
Ethan Osborne came in to relieve Miller following Botaletto's RBI single (unearned).
For the Leathernecks, LHP Jack Bell matched Miller facing 23 SEMO hitters, fanning five and allowing just two hits over 5.2 innings as well.
In the bottom of the 13
th inning, Bell hit first baseman
Gunnar Doyle, ending his day as Chase Golden came on to relieve Bell. Golden took the loss in the contest as the Redhawks came from behind to win the game in the bottom of the 14
th.
SEMO starting pitcher
Haden Dow threw three complete innings, allowing three runs, four hits, and fanned a pair of batters in the outing.
The Redhawks and Leathernecks combined for 26 hits on Sunday.
LHP
Ethan Osborne (2-2) was credited with the win in the contest.
SEMO will be back in action on Tuesday, March 21, when they take on Southeastern Conference-member and seventh ranked Arkansas in Fayetteville. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m., CT. at Baum Stadium.