May 17, 2008

MOREHEAD, Ky. - The 2008 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks baseball team will make its 14th consecutive trip to the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Tournament next week, though not with the kind of momentum they would have hoped for. Southeast dropped its regular season finale to Morehead State in a 10-inning, three-hour and 38 minute slugfest at Allen Field.

The Redhawks (23-24, 12-13 OVC) took a four-run, 12-8 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning and put the game in the hands of junior Daniel Schuh. Making his seventh appearance of the season, Schuh gave up a pair of solo home runs as Morehead State (18-33, 8-19 OVC) cut the Redhawks' lead in half. Trent Hanna homered to lead off the inning, and Eric Allen hit his fourth home run of the weekend series with one out.

Allen, just 1-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday, ended the weekend 5-for-11 at the plate with four home runs, five runs scored and 11 RBIs. He leads the OVC with 17 home runs on the year.

After the second home run allowed in three batters, Schuh was relieved by Todd Strahlendorf. Strahlendorf recorded the second out en route to walking three batters to load the bases, and Eagles right fielder Justin Johnson hit a two-run single to tie the game at a dozen runs apiece.

Freshman Brad LaBruyere came in to close out the ninth inning, but the damage had been done. The Redhawks managed a pair of baserunners in the top of the 10th inning, but failed to score as Zac Blemker grounded into a inning-ending double play, and the Eagles had momentum on their side in the bottom half of the inning.

After retiring the first batter, Labruyere gave up a double to Michael Fear and intentionally walked Allen. However, a wild pitch on the first intentional ball to Allen allowed Fear to advance to third, forcing the Redhawks to intentionally walk the bases loaded with just one out. After throwing eight consecutive intentional balls, Labruyere fell behind 3-0 to Andrew Wertz, eventually walking the game-winning run across the plate on five pitches.

The Southeast pitching staff issued 12 free passes in the contest, including 10 walks after the fifth inning and one that drove the game-winning run across the plate for Morehead State.

Meanwhile, the Southeast offense, which came into the game averaging just over seven runs per game, scored over its average for the fifth time in the last six games. The Redhawks have scored 51 runs over the last six contests and have logged double-digit hits in all but one of those contests as well.

Catcher Jim Klocke led the offensive attack in the loss with a 4-for-6 effort at the plate that included a double, home run, five RBIs and two runs scored. Klocke hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to boost the Redhawks lead to 12-8, and he contributed to Southeast's six-run fourth inning with a run-scoring double.

Klocke was 7-for-14 in the three-game series with two home runs, nine RBIs and five runs scored.

Meanwhile, Tyrell Cummings hit his 12th home run of the season to jumpstart the scoring barrage in the fourth frame; it was a two-run blast. His two RBIs today increased his season total to 56, and he now stands alone in eighth place for RBIs in a single season at Southeast. He trails both Darin Kinsolving (2000) and Chris Shadowens (1986) who are tied for sixth with 57. Vern Hatton, in fifth place, drove in 58 runs in 2002.

Despite the extra-inning defeat, all was not lost for the Redhawks as they clinched their OVC-record 14th consecutive tournament berth last night when Murray State fell in its doubleheader nightcap to Austin Peay. With a tournament spot in hand heading into Saturday's contest, Southeast was playing for its regular season finish and seed.

The loss to the Eagles and a Tennessee Tech win means that the Redhawks have the No. 6 seed in the OVC Tournament and will play No. 3 Austin Peay at 6:30 p.m. at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky., on Wednesday.