Game 41       
Southern Illinois (24-16, 8-7 MVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (20-20, 9-6 OVC)
 
Game Information
Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
Venue: Capaha Field (2,000)
Series: SIU leads 60-32-1
 
Head Coaches: SEMO: Andy Sawyers (201-190, 104-79 OVC, Eighth Season); SIU: Lance Rhodes (150-85, 54-37 MVC, Fifth Season)
 
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Tickets: Here
 
Game Notes (PDF)
 
Redhawks Host Southern Illinois Tuesday
Southeast Missouri Baseball (20-20, 9-6 OVC) will host regional rival Southern Illinois (24-16, 8-7 MVC) on Tuesday, April 23, at Capaha Field. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m., CT. in Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
 
St. Louis Browns
Tuesday's contest will feature a special edition 'St. Louis Browns' Theme Night as the Redhawks will honor the 1944 St. Louis Browns, who hosted their spring training in 1943 & 1944 at Capaha Field. In 1944, the Browns won the American League pennant and made their only world series appearance in that season. 
 
SEMO will wear special, replica jerseys of the St. Louis Browns on Tuesday night. Fans can bid on their favorite players' jersey here and can get their jersey right after the game ends. 
 
Promotions
Along with the Browns theme night, Tuesday will feature a special edition of 'Fill the Hill' night where fans 21+ can receive free adult beverages, courtesy of Kohlfeld Distributing. 
 
Tuesday is also 'Taco Tuesday' Night at Capaha Field. Fans can enjoy taco specials from the El Sol Food Truck inside the grounds of Capaha Field. $2 specials on select concession items will be available for fans throughout the duration of Tuesday's game. 
 
Series History
Tuesday's meeting will be the second matchup of the season after the Redhawks won in extra innings on Tuesday, April 9, in Carbondale, Ill. by a final score of 8-7. SIU maintains a 60-32-1 all-time series lead in the matchup. SEMO's win in Carbondale was the first since 2011. 
 
Last Time Out
SEMO Baseball dropped two-out-of-three on the road this past weekend at Tennessee Tech beginning with a 4-1 victory in extra innings on Friday night. Right fielder Josh Cameron blasted his ninth home run in the top of the 10th inning, a three-run shot to give the Redhawks a 4-1 lead after TTU tied it at one in the bottom of the ninth inning.

LHP Haden Dow made the start in Friday's contest, pitching a flawless 7.0 innings allowing no runs on just four hits. RHP Kyle Miller (3-1) picked up the victory as he shut the door in the final half inning to secure the Redhawks series-opening win.

Saturday's contest was all Golden Eagles as TTU exploded for 10 runs on 11 hits, beginning with a first inning grand slam by Theo Bryant IV to give TTU an early 4-0 lead against RHP Sam Heyman. Six more runs came across for TTU before the Redhawks got on the board in the seventh inning with an RBI double by Bryce Cannon to make it 10-1. Cannon finished the weekend with a double in each game.

SEMO would score their second and final run in the 8th inning via a TTU error, but Tech would hold on for the 10-2 victory to set up the series' rubber match on Sunday.

Designated hitter Kenoi Coloma recorded an RBI groundout to get the scoring started on Sunday afternoon, scoring Cannon to make it 1-0 Redhawks in the third inning. A Troy Baunsgard solo home run would tie it in the bottom half of the inning and would be the only two runs scored of the contest until the seventh inning.

RHP Brian Strange made the start and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing just one run on three hits. A perfectly executed squeeze play in the 7th inning by TTU gave them a 2-1 advantage heading into the eighth inning. Bryce Cannon's ninth home run of the season tied the contest at two as his opposite field home run came on a 3-2 count off RHP Jaxson Pease.

A Preston Ford two-run shot in the bottom of the eight inning would be the difference as the Redhawks scored a run in the ninth, but fell 4-3. 
 
Josh Cameron, Go-Ahead
Right fielder Josh Cameron recorded a go-ahead three run home run in the top of the 10th inning in Friday's 4-1 victory at Tennessee Tech. The senior from Pflugerville, Texas blasted his ninth home run of the season to put SEMO on top by three runs. Cameron, earlier this season, recorded SEMO's walk-off home run to down Toledo (3/1). 
 
In Carbondale
The Redhawks and Salukis met on Tuesday, April 9, in Carbondale, Ill. in a game that saw the Redhawks win 3-2 in 11 innings. Second baseman Brooks Kettering drew a bases loaded walk to drive in the go-ahead run in the 11th. LHP Alex Hayes picked up his first save in a Redhawks uniform in the contest as he allowed just two hits in 1.0 innings of work. 
 
RBI Man
First baseman Bryce Cannon, who had the game tying home run in Sunday's series finale at TTU, leads the Redhawks with 34 RBIs this season. Cannon is one of five Redhawks who has 30+ RBIs on the season. Left fielder Ty Stauss is just behind Cannon with 33 RBIs, followed by Michael Mugan (32), Josh Cameron (32), and Ben Palmer (30). 
 
Caleb Corbin
Third baseman Caleb Corbin leads the Redhawks in three major categories. Corbin, who has been SEMO's regular starter on at third base over the last few weeks, leads the squad in batting average (.390), slugging-percentage (.662), and on-base percentage (.500). 

Looking
The Redhawks pitching staff has recorded 293 strikeouts in 40 games this season. LHP Haden Dow leads the staff with 12 looking strikeouts. RHP Gavin Johnston is second on the team with 10. RHP Collin Wilma and Brian Strange are tied with eight. 
 
Opposing Hitters
Coming into Tuesday's contest, teams are hitting .277 against SEMO pitching on the season. LHP Haden Dow leads the starting staff with a .253 opposing batting average against him. RHP Kyle Miller leads the entire staff as teams are hitting just .128 against him in eight appearances out of the SEMO bullpen. 
 
Home Runs
Short stop Ben Palmer continues to lead the club with his 11 home runs and is the only Redhawk in double-digits in the category. Three Redhawks are looking for their 10th home run of the season in Michael Mugan, Josh Cameron, and Bryce Cannon who all have nine home runs each.
 
About Southern Illinois
The Salukis visit Cape on the back of a series sweep of Belmont in the Missouri Valley Conference over the weekend. After beating Western Illinois, 12-11, on Tuesday night, SIU took all three from the Bruins and will arrive in Cape Girardeau on a four-game winning streak. Matthieu Valle leads the Salukis in hitting with a .342 batting average and a .919 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has a team-high 52 hits on the season. Hesston Gray and Cole Chirstman have nine and eight home runs, respectively, to lead the charge for SIU. Last time SIU faced SEMO, LHP Alec Nigut made the midweek start. Nigut has a 5.31 ERA with a 1.54 WHIP. He has struck out 31 hitters on the season and has allowed just 25 earned runs. Anthony Pron is the Salukis' top reliever as he has made 19 appearances on the season for SIU. He has recorded seven saves out of the bullpen in 2024. 
 
Looking Ahead
SEMO Baseball will remain in Cape Girardeau, Mo. to host Morehead State over the weekend to continue Ohio Valley Conference play. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday, April 26 at Capaha Field.