Southeast Missouri State baseball team keeps streaks alive in win vs. ASU

~ parmley's hitting streak reached 45 games in the 5-3 win against Arkansas State

Will Spitzfaden pitched the game of his young college career, three players continued their impressive streaks and coach Mark Hogan notched a milestone victory.

It has been a rough season for the Southeast Missouri State baseball team, but just about everything went right for the Redhawks during Tuesday's 5-3 win over visiting Arkansas State.

Southeast (12-26), which is last in the 10-team Ohio Valley Conference, knocked off a squad that is second in the 10-team Sun Belt Conference. The Redhawks avenged a 10-5 loss to ASU (21-17) on March 27 in Jonesboro, Ark.

"It's nice to have a really complete game," All-American senior third baseman Trenton Moses said.

Spitzfaden didn't work a complete game, but he went 7 2/3 innings for the longest outing by a Southeast pitcher this season.

Not bad for a true freshman left-hander making his first collegiate start who had hurled just 8 1/3 innings this year before Tuesday's start.

"I didn't know if I could ask for a better first career start," said Spitzfaden, a St. Louis native who notched his first collegiate victory. "I was hoping to go five or six innings. They just told me to keep going out there."

Spitzfaden, who said he wasn't told that he would start until about noon Tuesday, relished being the winning pitcher for Hogan's 900th career victory.

"It's pretty special," Spitzfaden said.

Spitzfaden (1-0) allowed six hits and three runs. He struck out one and walked two.

"That's one of the best games by a Redhawks pitcher I've seen in years, much less a freshman," Moses said. "It was unbelievable."

Spitzfaden was so impressive that Hogan said he'll be given consideration to start in Sunday's finale of a three-game OVC home series against Tennessee Tech.

"What a tremendous performance against a good offensive club," said Hogan, whose pitching staff has struggled this year. "I would have never dreamed he'd go 7 2/3 innings. The best thing he did today, he competed in the strike zone."

Senior shortstop Kenton Parmley got a single in the third inning to extend his school and OVC record hitting streak to 45 games.

Parmley's streak is tied for the fourth longest in NCAA Division I history. He also has reached base safely in 54 consecutive games.

"It makes me feel good, and it's even better to help contribute to a win," said Parmley, a native of Goreville, Ill., who is batting .413 to rank fourth in the OVC. "I went home yesterday and everybody in my hometown was talking about it."

Moses went 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs. The Advance High School graduate has reached base safely in a school record 58 straight games. Neither the OVC nor NCAA keeps records for that category.

Moses, who is batting .426 to rank third in the OVC, leads the league with 15 homers and 46 RBIs.

Sophomore left fielder Derek Gibson went 2 for 4 to push his hitting streak to 22 games.

"What Parmley and Moses are doing is remarkable, and what Gibson is doing is also very impressive," Hogan said.

True freshman DH Cody Spanberger went 2 for 4 for Southeast. His RBI double in the second inning staked the Redhawks to a 1-0 lead.

Moses' three-run bomb to left field in the third inning, which came after singles by Parmley and Gibson, made it 4-0.

ASU's only real damage against Spitzfaden was a massive two-run homer to right by Logan Uxa in the fourth inning.

Moses' sacrifice fly, which came after Gibson doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch, put Southeast up 5-2 in the fifth inning.

Spitzfaden was relieved with a man on second and two outs in the eighth inning.

Junior college transfer left-hander Zack Smith walked the only batter he faced, and juco transfer Trevor Kill allowed a run-scoring double to the lone batter he faced.

Sophomore left-hander Christian Hull, whose nine previous appearances this season all had been starts, retired the final four batters to notch his first career save. He struck out two.

"He really did a good job," Hogan said about Hull.

Hogan indicated that he will juggle his starting rotation for this weekend's OVC series against Tennessee Tech.

Hogan said junior ace Shae Simmons from Scott City will go in Friday's 6 p.m. opener, with the Saturday and Sunday starters to be determined.

Parmley hopes Tuesday's performance gives the Redhawks a boost as they seek their first OVC series win of the season.

"Hopefully this will get us going," he said.