CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri Baseball (30-24, 17-9 OVC) picked up their 30
th win of the season with a 9-3 victory over UT Martin (20-33, 12-14 OVC) in game two of the series on Friday night from Capaha Field.
Second baseman
Brooks Kettering paced the SEMO offense with a 4-for-5 night at the plate with three RBIs and his sixth home run of the season. The Redhawks pounded out 13 hits, including three home runs.
RHP
Payton Lawrence (2-1) made the Friday night start as the Dixon, Ill.-native tossed 5.0 innings in solid fashion. Lawerence allowed just three runs on five hits, striking out five hitters on senior weekend.
The Redhawks took the lead in the second inning with a
Josh Cameron RBI groundout that scored
Ty Stauss from third base. Cameron's Rbi was the first-of-three in the contest.
Kettering's blast came an inning later after a leadoff hit-by-pitch by designated hitter
Keoni Coloma, and a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by catcher
Nolan Ackerman brought Kettering to the plate with a runner in scoring position.
The freshman crushed the ball down the right field line off UTM's Eric Steensma (3-8) to give SEMO a 3-0 lead after the third.
Right fielder
Josh Cameron made it five unanswered runs with his 12
th home run of the season in the fourth inning. His ball traveled over the right field party deck to give the Redhawks a 5-0 advantage.
Later in the fourth, Ackerman drove in Coloma after his two-out double for the third run of the inning and after the fourth, SEMO led 6-0.
Third baseman
Caleb Corbin hit his fifth home run of the season in the fifth inning off UTM's Choyce Duffy to make it seven unanswered runs heading to the sixth inning.
UTM would plate three runs in the top of the sixth to cut the Redhawks lead to 7-3, but that was all they could muster.
Kettering recorded an RBI double and
Ty Stauss drove in a run with a walk in the eighth inning as the Redhawks cruised to the 9-3 victory on Friday night.
RHP
Collin Wilma had a nice outing in relief for Lawrence as he entered the game in the sixth inning. Wilma pitched 3.1 innings of one-hit baseball, striking out four Skyhawks in the appearance.
The regular season finale will take place tomorrow, May 18, with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. from Capaha Field.