Southeast Missouri State baseball team endures third straight one-run loss

If there was any consolation to be found in a frustrating weekend of baseball in Terre Haute, Indiana, this weekend, it was the fact Southeast Missouri State was playing out of conference.

The Ohio Valley Conference-leading Redhawks completed a weekend of one-run losses Sunday with an 8-7 setback to host Indiana State of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Sycamores won games in three ways in improving to 5-0 all-time against Southeast (31-20).

On Friday, the Sycamores struck for five runs in the eighth inning, surprising the Redhawks with a 7-6 comeback victory. The Sycamores posted a 4-3 triumph in a 14-inning marathon Saturday.

On Sunday, the Sycamores scored runs in each of the first six innings, let the Redhawks get their hopes up with a three-run seventh that closed the gap to one run, then held Southeast hitless over the final two innings for the sweep.

A dismal weekend could have been made brighter with some help from fellow OVC members Morehead State and Southern Illinois Edwardsville, but they also failed to cooperate. Southeast could have clinched its second consecutive OVC regular-season title if both schools would have lost two games in their respective weekend series, but Morehead State swept its three-game against Jacksonville State and SIUE won two of three against Austin Peay.

The Redhawks still hold a two-game lead over Morehead State and can clinch the title outright this weekend with two wins in its three-game series at Belmont, or with two losses by Morehead State and one by SIUE.

Southeast only led once in the series finale against Indiana State, with Andy Lennington chasing home Jason Blum with an RBI single in the first inning. It was the first of three hits for Lennington.

Indiana State (24-23) methodically chipped away at Southeast starter Travis Hayes (7-6), tying the score on a two-out RBI double by Andy Young in the first inning and moving ahead for good on a solo home run to left field by Kaden Moore in the second. The Sycamores, who had five extra-base hits among their 12 hits in the game, added three runs in the third -- two unearned -- with two outs. A hit batsman, three hits and a throwing error scored the runs for a 5-1 lead for the Sycamores.

Southeast closed the gap to 5-3 in the fourth with two runs. Hunter Leeper had an RBI single in the inning and later scored on a throwing error. The Redhawks also scored a run in the fifth, but Indiana State kept pace with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings for an 8-4 lead.

The Redhawks struck for three runs in the seventh off Ethan Larrison, who relieved Sycamore starter Greg Kuhlman in the fifth inning.

Southeast had three hits in the inning. After the leadoff batter was retired, the Redhawks loaded the bases on back-to-back singles by Brandon Boggetto and Lennington and a walk to Dalton Hewitt. Ryan Rippee followed with a single to score Boggetto, but Lennington was thrown out at third on the play. Hunter Leeper followed with a two-run double, his second hit of the game, to end the day for Larrison and pull the Redhawks within 8-7.

Leeper's double was Southeast's lone extra-base hit on the day and its ninth and final hit.

David Stagg struck out Scott Mitchell to end the inning, and Ryan Cheek (2-0) and Connor Schwienebart each pitched a scoreless inning as the Sycamores held on.

The five Indiana State pitchers struck out 12 Redhawks, with Kuhlman leading the way with seven strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.

Hayes allowed eight hits and seven runs -- five earned -- over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out five and did not allow a walk. He was followed to the mound by Zach Moore, Wesley Pyles and Jacob Lawrence.

Hunter Owen, who bats No. 8 for the Sycamores, had a team-high three hits. Andy Young and Brian Romero both added two hits.

Southeast returns to action this weekend against Belmont in Nashville, Tennessee, with its final regular-season series. The Redhawks will play the Bruins at 5 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.