HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Southeast Missouri Baseball (7-8) used a six-run ninth inning to steal game one of the series against Marshall (4-9) by a final score of 6-3 at Jack Cook Field Friday afternoon. 
 
A leadoff single by center fielder Michael Mugan was the first of three-straight singles as Bryce Cannon and Chance Resetich answered Mugan's single to load the bases with no outs in the inning. 
 
Short stop Ben Palmer drew a bases loaded walk to plate SEMO's first run of the ball game as they trailed 3-1. 
 
The Thundering Herd went to the bullpen following the walk as catcher Shea McGahan stepped into the box. McGahan roped a single off Marshall's closer Nick Jodway to tie the ball game as Resetich and Cannon came around to score. 
 
Second baseman Brooks Kettering, who was the Redhawks leadoff hitter in the contest, stepped in and delivered the go-ahead two-run double to left center field, scoring McGahan and Palmer to give SEMO a 5-3 lead with two outs in the inning. 
 
The Redhawks were not done as they used a throwing error off the bat of Ty Stauss to plate another run as Kettering came around to score the sixth run of the inning. 
 
RHP Collin Wilma shut the door in the ninth inning to pick up his first save of the season as SEMO held on for the 6-3 win. 
 
The Redhawks were held in check for most of the afternoon as Marshall's Drew Harlow pitched 8.0 innings of scoreless baseball. SEMO made it count when it mattered and finished the day with 10 hits and five RBIs led by Kettering, Mugan, and McGahan who all had multi-hit days. 
 
RHP Brian Strange made the start in game one of the series and pitched 6.0 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits. The right-hander from Westfield, Mass. Registered seven punch-outs to keep the Redhawks within striking distance. 
 
LHP Ethan Osborne and RHP Payton Lawrence teamed up to keep Marshall at just three runs out of the bullpen as the duo allowed zero runs in relief duty. 
 
Marshall got the first two runs of the ball game with just one swing of the bat as their left fielder, Elijah Vogelsong, hit a two-run home run that scored Kebler Peralta in the bottom of the third inning. 
 
The Thundering Herd would add their third run of the ball game in the seventh inning with an RBI single by Peralta to give Marshall a 3-0 lead after seven innings. 
 
Looking Ahead
Game two of the series between SEMO and Marshall is slated for tomorrow, Saturday, March 9, from Jack Cook Field. The start time is TBD as weather in the Huntington-area is projected for Saturday.