Southeast Missouri State baseball team hopes to avenge loss to Arkansas State

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team has lost its last five mid-week nonconference games. Three were blowouts and two were one-run decisions.

Southeast (19-18, 11-7 Ohio Valley Conference) will look to avenge one of those narrow non-league defeats today when Arkansas State (19-17, 6-9 Sun Belt Conference) visits Capaha Field for a 5 p.m. matchup.

ASU won the first meeting in the annual two-game season series 9-8 on April 2 in Jonesboro, Ark. The Redhawks rallied from early deficits of 6-2 and 8-4 to forge an 8-8 tie before the Red Wolves scored an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

"We played them well down there but we kind of ran out of pitching," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said.

That has been a familiar theme for the Redhawks during mid-week nonconference competition. Their injury-riddled pitching staff has been able to hold up well enough during weekend league play, but more often than not runs short of arms against nonconference opponents.

"It's just the situation we're in," said Bieser, whose squad concludes a five-game homestand today. "We know we have to be fresh with our pitching on the weekend. We'll try to piece it together [today]."

Southeast is coming off an impressive conference series against two-time defending OVC regular-season and tournament champion Austin Peay.

The Redhawks dropped Friday's opener before rallying for wins Saturday and Sunday. It marked their third straight OVC series victory as they have won seven of their last nine league games to solidify their hold on fifth place in the 11-team league. The top six finishers qualify for the conference tournament.

"We've played well the last few weekends," Bieser said. "Our guys have a lot of fight."

ASU was swept over the weekend by a combined score of 30-5 in a three-game home series against Sun Belt leader South Alabama. The Red Wolves, who have lost 10 of their last 13 contests, are tied for seventh in the 10-team league.

The Red Wolves had a big season last year, going 34-23 overall and 19-9 in conference play to finish a half-game out of first. They split their two games with Southeast, winning 10-5 in Jonesboro, Ark., and losing 5-3 in Cape Girardeau.

Following today's contest, Southeast resumes OVC play this weekend with a three-game series at 10th-place Eastern Illinois (12-21, 3-11). Starting times are 3 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.