FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – #4 Southeast Missouri Baseball (34-26) fell in the opening game of the 2024 NCAA Baseball Regional to host, #1 Arkansas (44-14) by a final score of 17-9 at Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday afternoon.
The Redhawks scored 10 runs while pounding out nine hits including three-run home runs by seniors
Ben Palmer and
Josh Cameron. Palmer's blast gave SEMO its first runs of the game in the third inning, while Cameron's tied the game at eight in the fifth inning. Palmer finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs as Cameron went 1-for-4 with four RBIs.
Freshman
Brooks Kettering tied the all-time single game record for walks in a game in Friday's contest. The Springfield, Mo. native walked five times, tying the previous record set by Clemente Bonilla on May 19, 2000. He finished the day going 0-1 with five base-on-balls.
Second baseman
Brooks Kettering led off the game against LHP Mason Molina with his first base-on-balls for the Redhawks and the first base runner of the contest.
The Razorbacks responded in the home first with a solo home run by Hudson White to give Arkansas a 1-0 lead after the first.
After a quiet top half of the second inning for the Redhawks, Arkansas used a seven run second inning to jump out to an 8-0 lead.
SEMO would quickly respond. First baseman
Bryce Cannon led off the third inning with a walk. Kettering's second walk of the day put runners on first and second with just one out.
Short stop
Ben Palmer blasted his team-leading 18
th home run of the season off Molina to cut the deficit to just five. The home run was the first hit of the ball game for the Redhawks.
Ty Stauss drew the third walk of the inning for Molina, and a double by center fielder
Michael Mugan rolled to the wall to put Redhawks on second and third.
A sacrifice fly by
Josh Cameron brought in the fourth run of the inning as the Redhawks trailed 8-4 after the top of the third.
RHP
Collin Wilma continued his strong postseason calming down the game, keeping the Razorbacks off the board in the fourth and fifth inning(s). Wilma pitched 3.0 innings, allowing just three runs on three hits with two strikeouts.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Kettering led off the fifth inning with his third walk in three plate appearances. A single through the left side by
Ben Palmer and an infield single by Stauss loaded the bases for the Redhawks with no outs in the inning.
Mugan would drive in the first run of the inning with a ground ball, fielder's choice to make it 8-5 with an out in the inning.
Cameron would record his fourth RBI of the ball game with one swing of the bat, one batter later as he drove a 1-2 breaking ball over the right field fence off RHP Will McEntire tie the game at eight. For Cameron, the long ball was his 15
th of the season and was the second three-run home run of the contest for SEMO.
The fifth inning was the second four-run inning for the Redhawks in the ball game.
The Redhawks would add another run in the seventh inning after a one-out double by
Chance Resetich put a runner-in-scoring-position. First baseman
Bryce Cannon roped a double to the right-center field gap to score Resetich to make the score 10-9.
Arkansas would score four runs in the home seventh, and three more in the eighth to down the Redhawks, 17-9.
SEMO Baseball will be back in action to take on the loser of game two between #3 Kansas State and #2 Louisiana Tech (Friday, 7 p.m.) on Saturday, June 1. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. in Fayetteville.
