Redhawks win 2 of 3 against Murray State

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team went 2-1 last weekend in a home series against Murray State.

The Redhawks took game one 10-3 with the help of strong hitting by Sophomore second baseman Trevor Ezell, senior shortstop Branden Bogetto and senior catcher Scott Mitchell. Ezell had three RBIs and smacked a two-out home run in the third inning to extend the Southeast lead to 2-0. Bogetto and Mitchell were each on base four times in the game.

Senior pitcher Joey Lucchesi set a new career-high with 17 strikeouts. Lucchesi allowed only one run and six hits in the eight innings he pitched. The win brought his record to 8-3 on the season. Luchesi leads all pitchers in Division I strikeouts.

Murray State came back strong in game two, beating Southeast 4-3 on Friday evening. The defeat was only the Redhawks’ fourth loss to Ohio Valley Conference opponents this year.

The Racers jumped out early in the top of the first with a three-run home run by junior first baseman Ramsey Scott. The Redhawks answered in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs off a single by junior outfielder Chris Osbourne. Southeast trailed barely behind for the rest of the game and never broke the Murray State lead.

Southeast senior outfielder Garrett Gandolfo gave credit to the Murray State pitchers for containing the Redhawks’ offense.

“They came right back at us,” Gandolfo said. “Their bullpen did a good job taming us. We had bases loaded one or two times and couldn’t score.”

The loss prepared the Redhawks for a competitive series finale on Saturday at Capaha Field. The game saw strong hitting from both teams, ending with a final score of 7-4 in favor of the Redhawks.

Southeast took the lead in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs off a base hit by Gandolfo. The lead was shortened 2-1 the next inning when a wild bounce jumped over Boggetto and allowed the Racers to score.

The next two innings became a back-and-forth of offense from both teams. Junior outfielder Dan Holst smacked a two-run home run in the bottom of the second, widening the lead to 4-1.

The Racers came back quickly and strong in the third. Back-to-back home runs, a two-run score by junior catcher Tyler Lawrence and a one-run score by Scott, made it a 4-4 game heading into the fourth.

Southeast broke away with three consecutive runs by Ezell, Gandolfo and Holst. The 7-4 lead persisted through the final scoreless innings.

Holst believed the Redhawks’ early scoring was crucial to securing the win, especially after struggling with the Murray State pitching in game two.

“We came out ready to attack the starter,” Holst said. “We knew that was important for us, to get out on top and get the lead early in the game, to chase the starter as quick as we could. I think we did a good job of that.”

Southeast Missouri State (20-4) currently sits on top of the OVC rankings alongside Jacksonville State (16-4). The Redhawks will next face Saint Louis on May 3 before traveling to Tennessee Tech for a three-game weekend series.