SEMO SETTLES FOR SPLIT WITH NORTHERN IOWA

Entering its games with Southeast Missouri State University, Northern Iowa's baseball team was averaging 13.5 runs per game through four contests.

In Southeast's three previous games, the Indians allowed an average of 11.6 runs per game.

So it was almost a given that Sunday's pair of seven-inning games at Capaha Park would be an offensive showcase, right?

The pitchers had other ideas.

In the opener, Southeast's Jason Swearingen pitched well and the Indians won 3-2. Northern Iowa then won the nightcap 4-1 behind a three-hitter by Scott Sobkowiak.

The split with the Missouri Valley Conference team moved Southeast to 3-6. Northern Iowa is 4-2.

Swearingen (1-0), a junior from St. Louis, went the distance in the opener, allowing two earned runs on six hits and striking out six. Northern Iowa's Steve Beard (0-1) suffered a complete-game loss.

Southeast entered the game riding a three-game losing streak in which the Indians had been plagued by big innings. The Indians allowed no more than one run in any inning Sunday.

"I knew our ball club couldn't keep spotting the other team five- and six-run innings early and then have to fight back," said Swearingen. "So I just wanted to keep us close, and I knew if I could keep us close we could scrap and fight and get some runs on the board.

"I could tell they were a good-hitting ball club; they put up like 16 [runs] against Ohio State and something similar against Nebraska. I just tried to mix it up on them and keep them off balance. I had a good slider that I hadn't had in a couple of outings."

Southeast opened a 2-0 lead in the first inning. LaMonte Collier singled, stole second base and then third, and scored on an error. For the other run, Brian Pepper walked and scored on a Mike Miller double.

Northern Iowa scored in the third inning, making the score 2-1, before the Indians added a run in the fourth. Miller singled and scored on a double by Jeff Bebej, putting the score at 3-1.

The Panthers threatened in the fifth inning, loading the bases with no outs. But Swearingen coaxed the next batter, Ryan Jergensen, into a 4-6-3 double play, and escaped by allowing only one run.

"That could have been a real bad inning," Swearingen said. "The No. 4 hitter was up and luckily I made a pretty good pitch in a spot that he couldn't really do anything with it and he tapped it to second."

In the nightcap, Southeast ran into a fine performance by Sobkowiak and scored only a seventh-inning run.

Sobkowiak (2-0) allowed no earned runs in seven innings of work, gave up three hits and struck out 10. Southeast's David Michel (0-3) allowed only one earned run and struck out six in four innings and suffered the loss.

Northern Iowa scored single runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Down 4-0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, Southeast threatened. The first batter, Jim Gerwitz, was hit by a pitch. Darin Kinsolving then reached base on an error and was followed by Jon Lewis, who was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.

But Sobkowiak struck out the next two batters looking, walked Collier to force in a run, and then struck out his 10th batter to end the game.

"(Sobkowiak) was an Olympic tryout guy last summer; he's a 90-plus [miles per hour] guy with a great breaking ball and he had command," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan.

Southeast will play Missouri Baptist Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Capaha Park.