Boggetto's big day helps Southeast Missouri State baseball team stay alive at OVC tourney

JACKSON, Tenn. -- The Southeast Missouri State baseball team didn't feel like the No. 1 seed when it began its day at the Ohio Valley Conference tournament on Friday morning.

The regular-season champion Redhawks finally felt like there were no more expectations to live up to after being dropped into the loser's bracket with a loss Thursday night and decided to make a statement with wins in two elimination games on Friday.

Southeast Missouri State's Branden Boggetto signals after his two-RBI double down the left-field line against Austin Peay during the second inning Sunday, April 5, 2015 at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

Southeast (35-22) defeated No. 5 Jacksonville State 12-4 in its first game and beat No. 4 Tennessee Tech 14-1 to eliminate both the Gamecocks and Golden Eagles and keep its championship season alive.

"Ever since we lost the other day it's kind of like we're the underdog now," third baseman Trevor Ezell said. "It kind of takes a little pressure off in a way. We just go out and have fun."

The relaxed Redhawks recorded 30 hits between the two games, including an 8 for 11 day from shortstop Branden Boggetto. He had two home runs, two doubles, nine RBIs and five runs.

"I feel Branden's been doing it for us all season long," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said with a laugh. "He's a quality player, and he's locked in right now. He's seeing the fastball, he's seeing the breaking ball and he's swinging at good pitches. As a hitter, when you do that you're going to be successful. But Branden obviously had a great day for us."

Boggetto accounted for the go-ahead run in the top of the third inning in Southeast's second game of the day against TTU.

With the game tied 1-1 he led off the inning with a double to left field before scoring on a base hit by right fielder Dalton Hewitt to make it 2-1.

It was the only run Southeast would need the remainder of the game because starting pitcher Travis Hayes held the Golden Eagles scoreless after the first inning.

The senior righty pitched a complete game for the first time this year to secure the win. Hayes' first pitch of the game was a base hit for TTU center fielder David Allen, who stole second and scored on a one-out double to put the Golden Eagles up 1-0 after one.

"Sometimes as of late he's been getting under the ball and pushing it," Bieser said. "When that continues to happen we know his stuff's flat and guys are hitting him hard. There was a lot of concern in the game because we've seen when he doesn't start fast that he's not going to find it. With us scoring a few runs he was able to find it and he looked like the old Travis the last seven innings there when he settled in and that was key for us."

He struck out the side in the second before getting into some trouble in the bottom of the third. Allen led off with another single and back to back one-out walks loaded the bases. Second baseman Jake Farr hit a chopper in front of home plate that catcher Scott Mitchell fielded and got the force out at home for the second out. Hayes coaxed the next batter to groundout to short, stranding the bases loaded and maintaining the one-run lead.

"Last week against Belmont I didn't throw very well and the week before against Indiana State I didn't really throw well, but we knew that it was just a matter of time before it was going to click, kind of get back to the ball coming out like it used to the first half of the season," Hayes said. "I felt like we had gained significant ground this week and no, the first inning wasn't exactly how I planned for it to go, but it seems like I give up a run in the first inning every single start anyway whether it's a good or bad start. I wasn't really worried. I knew we were going to score.

"I was just trying to stay in there as long as I could because [relief pitcher Ryan] Lenaburg was up in the bullpen in like the first inning, the second inning and the third. I was trying to get it figured out as soon as possible because I wanted to save as much of our bullpen as we could. I was just fortunate that we put up that many runs. Even if I hadn't thrown that well we had such a cushion that I could've just absorbed some runs to save the bullpen up. It just worked out that I was able to make the adjustment after the first two innings and [Boggetto] did the rest."

Southeast broke the game open with nine runs in the top of the fourth on seven hits and a TTU error. Boggetto, Hewitt, Mitchell and first baseman Ryan Rippee each had RBI singles. Ezell drove in a run with a triple and designated hitter Gandolfo drove in the final run of the inning with a double to push the lead to 11-1.

Southeast Missouri State starter Travis Hayes pitches to an Austin Peay batter during the first inning Saturday, April 4, 2015 at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

Hayes scattered three hits from the fourth inning on, allowing five total in his 128-pitch performance. He struck out six and walked three.

The Redhawks added three more in the top of the seventh. Gandolfo doubled and Boggetto followed with a home run to left to make it 13-1. Hewitt walked and center fielder Andy Lennington tripled to drive him in for the final score.

"I feel good with the matchup with anybody with our team," Hayes said. "I mean [Boggetto] had like 50 hits today and a million RBIs. That's just what our offense is capable of. Not only him but Gandolfo swung the bat well today, Rippee had a few hits, Trevor was great at the plate and in the field. Our offense is just so difficult to pitch to when they're clicking like they are now. It doesn't really matter who we're playing I'm trying to go out and do the same thing and that's get as many out on as few pitches possible and I just let them do the rest, and they're really good at it."

Southeast fell behind in its game against JSU to start the day. Starter Alex Winkelman gave up back to back one-out singles to start the game before issuing a walk to load the bases. A bases-loaded hit by pitch, walk and sacrifice fly put the Redhawks down 3-0. The junior lefty reloaded the bases but coaxed a fly out to strand them loaded at the end of the first.

Lennington drew a leadoff walk in the second and catcher Alex Burridge doubled to left field. Designated hitter Brendon Neel tied the game up with a three-run home run to left.

"I think that Alex and Brendon really set the tone for the entire day because they came out ready to play," Bieser said. "If anybody could have excuses it's the guys that haven't started a game in the last two weeks and those were two guys who came out and did exactly what I was hoping they were going to do. When you've got good players they make you look good. It wasn't an easy call to throw them in the lineup today because it was a do or die game. I trust them, but they also haven't had a lot of opportunities lately and that's tough, but they're preparers. They're always ready and it's exciting to see them have success."

Winkelman did not allow another run throughout his next five innings of work. He retired the Gamecocks in order in the second and third innings and allowed just a one-out single in the fourth. That hit was sandwiched between a couple of strikeouts and was erased with a 1-3-6 caught stealing to end the inning.

In the fifth he had two runners on after a couple of walks but fanned third baseman and second-team all-OVC selection Ryan Sebra to keep the game tied. Winkelman (4-3) gave up five hits with five walks and six strikeouts in the win.

"He has that rough first inning and typically once he gets out of the first inning he settles in and really gives us some quality innings after that," Bieser said. "Right now we've just got to live with that. That's what's happening and we're trying to make adjustments to get him to come out a little bit stronger, but it's just been something that we can't quite put our finger on and figure out why he's starting slow. Alex is a good pitcher and he usually settles in and gives us a chance to win ballgames."

The Redhawks got a leadoff single from Hewitt in the top of the sixth before Lenington and left fielder Hunter Leeper were walked to load the bases. Neel grounded into a 6-3 fielder's choice that drove in a run the winning run.

A walk to Ezell reloaded the bases and Southeast took a 5-3 lead when Blum was hit with a pitch. Boggetto sent the first pitch he got over the wall in left center for a grand slam that capped the six-run sixth and made it 9-3.

"I think I was just seeing the ball well today and I came in and was just trying to put some swings on the balls today and give us the chance to score some runs and get on base," Boggetto said.

Boggetto drove in his career-high sixth run of the game in the top of the eighth with a double and Hewitt made it a nine-run game with an RBI double.

"I think it's just the confidence right now that we have in ourselves," Ezell said. "We're not holding anything back. We're not worried about screwing up at this point. We're just putting it all out there."

JSU scored one run in the bottom of the eighth off reliever Brady Wright, who allowed three hits in two innings of work with one walk. Poplar Bluff graduate Wesley Pyles gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth.

Bieser said that junior Jacob Lawrence "proved himself" as the Redhawks' fourth starter and is expected to be on the mound when Southeast faces elimination once again Saturday. The Redhawks will have their entire bullpen available when they face No. 6 Belmont at noon. If Southeast wins that game it would face No. 2 Morehead State at 4 p.m.

If the Redhawks win twice Saturday, they'll force a winner-take-all championship on Sunday.

"I'm not backing off of what I said yesterday," Bieser said. "I feel we're the best team in the tournament, and I think that our guys feel the same thing and we need to play at a high level. It's that simple."