May 16, 2008

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks baseball team is just one win away from earning an Ohio Valley Conference record 14th consecutive OVC Tournament berth after a doubleheader split at Morehead State today. Southeast dropped the first game 10-8, falling just short in a late-inning comeback attempt. In game two, the Redhawks fended off a late Eagles comeback to claim a 9-6 seven-inning victory.

Southeast (22-22, 12-12 OVC) scored the first run of the afternoon in the top of the first inning of game one, which was delayed two hours due to weather and field conditions at Allen Field in Morehead, Ky.

With a 1-0 lead after the first frame, the Eagles (17-33, 7-19 OVC) surged with five runs in both the second and third innings, claiming a commanding 10-2 lead after three frames. Southeast starter James Leigh (5-2) lasted just one and one-third innings pitched, and he was responsible for all five runs scored in the first.

After loading the bases with no outs in the second inning, he recorded the first out of the inning before issuing a run-scoring walk and back-to-back RBI singles. Josh Manning entered the game in relief with one out and allowed a sacrifice fly before ending the inning.

The trouble continued in the second inning with Manning on the mound as he gave up a pair of home runs. Michael Bottoms hit a solo blast to lead off the inning, and OVC home run leader Eric Allen hit a three-run shot to cap off the five-run frame for the Eagles.

Manning settled down, allowing just three base runners after the third inning, and he retired the last 11 batters he faced. However, the eight-run deficit was too large for the Redhawks to overcome in game one of the doubleheader.

Morehead State starter Tyler Bess (3-8) was solid through the first seven innings on the mound before Southeast was able to jump on him early in the eighth. Southeast scored six runs in the inning, including a two-run homer from Nick Harris and a three-run bomb by Trenton Moses. Bess was responsible for five of the six runs in the inning, and he ended the game with seven innings pitched, seven runs allowed, 11 hits and two strikeouts.

The Redhawks carried over the late-inning offensive surge into game two, managing an early 6-0 lead after the first three frames thanks to a five-run third.

Harris led off the game with a triple and scored as the next batter Justin Wheeler singled. In the third, the Redhawks took advantage of a one-out error by Eagles shortstop Drew Lee. After game two starter Bottoms loaded the bases when he hit Moses with a pitch, sophomore catcher Jim Klocke stepped up to hit his first career grand slam to give the Redhawks a six-run advantage.

Moses expanded the lead to eight with his second home run of the doubleheader, a two-run shot that scored Matt Wagner. Wheeler added a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning, the Redhawks third home run of game two after they hit two in the first game. Southeast has record 14 multiple-home run game this season after two today.

Redhawks ace Dustin Renfrow (5-5) got the win for Southeast in game two, throwing five shutout innings in a complete game effort. Renfrow allowed just two runners to reach base in the first five innings, one hit and one walk, before being touched up for six runs over the next two innings.

The left-handed hitting Allen added to his league-leading home run total with two more home runs over the short right field porch at Allen Field. He hit a two-run homer in the sixth and followed with a grand slam in the seventh inning. Allen now has 16 home runs on the season.

The Redhawks home run leader heading into the weekend, Tyrell Cummings, did not hit a bomb Friday, though he did join some of Southeast's greatest all-time run producers in the record books. With two RBIs in the first game of the doubleheader and 54 on the season, Cummings now stands alone in 10th place among Southeast single-season RBI leaders. He passed Steve Williams' 1983 mark of 53, and he stand just one RBI behind both Jeff Bourbon and Jeremy Johnson, who each drove in 55 in 2001 and 2000 respectively. The single-season record is 67 set by Brian Schaefer in 1995.

With the doubleheader split, the Redhawks can clinch their OVC record-breaking 14th consecutive tournament berth with a win over the Eagles tomorrow. They could also earn a spot in the tournament despite a loss if a number of other scenarios play out. First pitch tomorrow is scheduled for Noon Central Time.