CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri defeated SIUE 9-5 in the opener of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference baseball series at Capaha Field.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
SIUE fell to 4-18 overall and 2-8 in the OVC. Southeast Missouri remained unbeaten in OVC play, improving to 10-0. The Redhawks improved to 18-8 overall.
Southeast Missouri scored in each of the first six innings and built a 9-0 lead, before the Cougars scored five unanswered runs against the Southeast Missouri bullpen.
"We didn't give up," SIUE Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said. "We continued to fight. We battled and scrapped."
Southeast Missouri Redhawks' lefthander Joey Lucchesi limited SIUE to five hits while striking out five in six shutout innings.
"He has good stuff," Stoecklin said of the SEMO starter. "There's a reason he was a preseason All-Conference pick."
The Cougars took advantage of a Southeast Missouri error to get on the board in the seventh inning. A Redhawk's error with two outs in the inning allowed Jacob Stewart to score and the inning to continue. Keaton Wright followed with a two-run double to cut the lead to 9-3. Skyler Geissinger followed with a double to right center to score Wright.
Stewart added an RBI-single in the eighth to make it 9-5. The Cougars loaded the bases in the inning but failed to score again.
Southeast Missouri capitalized on 13 walks and two hit batters by Cougars pitchers to build its lead.
Starter P.J. Schuster fell to 0-4 with the loss. He allowed five runs on four hits and walked six.
"It definitely put us in a hole," Stoecklin said. "Those free bases end up costing you."
Brandon Tatum allowed three runs in an inning of relief. Michael Shereyk gave u p a run on two hits in an inning and a third.
D.J. Hickey struck out one and did not allow a run in 1.2 innings. Hickey entered with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning. Southeast did not score in the inning.
"D.J. Hickey came in and pounded the strike zone and he worked a quick inning and two thirds," Stoecklin said. "Limiting the inherited runs scored is something we talk about a lot as a staff. He came in with the bases loaded and did not allow any of those runners to score. He did a nice job."
Stewart and Wright were the only two SIUE players to have more than a single hit. Each had two hits for the Cougars.
"Jacob Stewart took some nice at-bats and picked up a couple of hits to the opposite field," Stoecklin said. "Keaton Wright did a nice job."
Chris Osborne had two hits and drove in two runs for the Redhawks. Trevor Ezell also had a pair of hits for SEMO.
The teams will play the second game of the series Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
More like this:
