Southeast Missouri State baseball team snaps skid

A rare Southeast Missouri State baseball victory seemed like a mere formality with ace Shae Simmons on the mound carrying an 8-1 lead into the sixth inning.

Things didn't work out that way, but the Redhawks couldn't have cared less. They simply were elated to pick up a much-needed win.

Southeast salvaged the finale of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series by holding on to beat visiting Eastern Kentucky 9-7 on Saturday at Capaha Field.

"We needed it bad," Simmons said.

Southeast (9-24, 2-7) snapped a four-game losing streak, but the Redhawks' funk went much deeper than that. They had dropped 14 of their last 15 and 20 of 23.

Southeast Missouri State baserunner Ryan Barnes slides into home on a single by Cole Bieser during the first inning Saturday at Capaha Field. Check out more photos from the game in our photo gallery at semoball.com. (ADAM VOGLER)

"It felt good," junior college transfer left-handed pitcher Zack Smith said. "We needed this win bad."

EKU (14-16, 6-3), which won the first two contests in the series, saw its seven-game winning streak end. The Colonels had won six straight conference games.

"It was a great outing for us," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "It took every ounce we had to get this win."

The Redhawks didn't look like they would need to sweat out the victory after they jumped on top with four runs in the first inning and four more in the fifth inning to lead 8-1.

"It's always nice playing with the lead," said senior first baseman Kody Campbell, an Oran High School graduate who went 3 for 5 with a career-high five RBIs.

Southeast Missouri State's Nolan Fisher runs toward third base during the eighth inning Saturday at Capaha Field.

Simmons, who has both Southeast wins during its 2-14 stretch, held EKU to one hit through five innings and coasted into the sixth with an 8-1 lead.

Coincidence or not, Simmons faltered after being nailed on his right thumb by a ball off the bat of A.J. Jamison during the fifth inning. He recorded the out on the play.

Simmons refused to blame that blow for EKU's five-run sixth inning that featured six hits, which allowed the Colonels to pull within 8-6.

"It got tight, but I was fine," said Simmons, a junior right-hander and Scott City High School graduate.

Simmons (2-4), the OVC leader in strikeouts who fanned eight and walked three, was lifted after six innings and 108 pitches.

That might not have seemed like a good exchange for an inexperienced Southeast bullpen that largely has struggled this season.

But Smith came to the rescue. He finished the win with three strong innings. He allowed three hits and one run for his first Southeast save.

"He did a great job," Simmons said. "He used to be a starter for a reason."

Smith was one of Southeast's weekend starters for the first several weeks of the season before moving to a relief role.

He recently missed a few weeks with a shoulder problem and was unavailable for the first two games of the EKU series due to flu-like symptoms.

"They battled the last three innings," Smith said about the hard-hitting Colonels. "I just tried to make the best pitches I could."

Said Hogan: "He was very impressive. He's a starter by trade, and he might be back there before it's over. He held the game for us."

Southeast, which rarely has built a solid lead over the last few weeks, reversed that trend Saturday.

Campbell's two-RBI single highlighted the Redhawks' four-run first inning that featured six hits, including RBI singles by senior second baseman Taylor Heon and sophomore center fielder Cole Bieser.

Campbell's first career triple, which came with the bases loaded, was the big blow during Southeast's four-run fifth inning that made it 8-1.

Smith came to the rescue after EKU's five-run sixth inning. Sophomore left fielder Derek Gibson helped Smith with a diving catch with two on and two outs in the seventh inning.

Heon's eighth-inning RBI single added insurance. EKU scored its final run in the ninth inning.

"That was a really big hit," Hogan said about Heon's blow.

Southeast had 14 hits, more than the combined 13 hits the Redhawks finished with during the first two games in the series.

True freshman DH Ryan Barnes went 4 for 5. Heon and Gibson added two hits apiece. Heon drove in two runs.

Southeast again was short-handed after two starters, redshirt freshman outfielder Andy Lennington and senior catcher Jesse Tierney, were diagnosed with mononucleosis. They will be out indefinitely.

Lennington ranks third on the team in batting average (.327) and third in RBIs (22).

Southeast's other catcher by trade, juco transfer Shane Blair, is sidelined with a hand injury.

That necessitated Southeast pulling the redshirt off true freshman Alex Burridge, who received a start behind the plate in his first collegiate action.

Burridge went hitless but made several nice stops on pitches in the dirt and threw out a runner trying to steal in the first inning.

"He exceeded my expectations," Hogan said. "I was proud of him. What a nice debut."

Senior shortstop Kenton Parmley and senior third baseman Trenton Moses extended their school-record streaks.

Parmley went 1 for 4 and pushed his hitting streak to 40 games dating back to last year. He is just two games shy of the OVC record 42-game hitting streak established by Austin Peay's Chuck Abbott in 1996. The NCAA Division I record is 58 games, which was set by former major leaguer and current White Sox manager Robin Ventura at Oklahoma State during the 1987 season.

Parmley also has reached base safely in 49 consecutive games.

Moses went 1 for 3 and extended his streak of reaching base safely to 53 consecutive games dating back to last year. The Advance High School graduate has hit safely in 30 of 33 games this season.

Gibson extended his hitting streak to 17 games.

Southeast concludes a five-game homestand Tuesday when regional rival SIU Carbondale visits for a 5 p.m. nonconference matchup.