Feb. 10, 2001

Box Score

Cape Girardeau, Mo. - A crowd of 419 faithful braved the chilly February afternoon at Capaha Field to witness Southeast Missouri State Baseball's first game of the 2001 season. They were warmly reward as the Southeast Missouri State Baseball Indians came back in the bottom of the ninth to pick up a 5-4 win over Iowa State.

In a game slated for just seven innings, due to cold, windy weather, Southeast found itself with a 1-1 tie at the end of seven. The game stayed knotted up until the top of the ninth when ISU catcher Ryan Wickham, with bases juiced, smashed a double to centerfield and cleared the bases and handed the Cyclones their first lead of the game at 4-1.

The scored didn't seem to deflate the Indians and the team's luck would soon be changing. With the sun setting low in the sky, Denver Stuckey was able to reach base after ISU first basemen Joe Urban found the sun in his eyes and was unable to hold on to the bullet-throw from his third basemen. 2B Clemente Bonilla next stepped up to punch his second double of the day down the left field line and Stuckey advanced to third. Pinch hitter Brad Simmons soon found himself on first after the walk. With bases busting, All-American SS Zach Borowiak connected with his pitch to send the ball down the right field line and two Indian runners across home plate to send the score to 4-3. RF Tristen McDonald was not allowed to play hero, as the Iowa Central Junior College transfer was intentionally walked. Instead, CF Vern Hatton hit a hard single off the pitcher to bring in Brice Nicholas, who had pinch ran for Simmons.

Tied at four-all, tri-captain 1B Shane Allen stood in with no outs and stroked a line drive to left-center field to bring in Borowiak as the winning run and hand Southeast the 5-4 win. The win is Southeast's first of the season, which opened up its 2001 campaign this weekend against the Cyclones.

Southeast, which hadn't scored since it's initial run in the first, left 13 men on base during the extra-inning marathon.

McDonald was responsible for Southeast's first run and boy was it a memorable one. In his first Division I at-bat, the Australia native doubled a Charly Bigwood pitch to the rightfield line and scored Bonilla, who himself had earlier doubled. Bigwood would probably like never to pitch against Southeast again. It was the same right-handed pitcher, last season, that offered former All-American centerfielder Jeremy Johnson the single that broke Southeast's all-time hit mark.

McDonald finished his first game with Southeast nearly perfect, going 3-for-4 at the plate with one RBI and one walk. He nearly sent everyone home in the bottom of the seventh, when with bases loaded he went down on strikes.

Iowa State got its first run in the sixth, when with bases loaded, Urban was stuck by a LHP Jeffrey Hilz pitch to bring home a run.

ISU had threatened in the second with a man on first, but a beautifully turned double play from Bonilla stopped the Cyclones cold. The Indians came thank the FieldTurf surface at Houck Stadium for their ability to practice field drills at length in the pre-season. The turf, which takes on many characters of natural grass, allowed the team to practice fielding outside since early January.

This is Southeast's fourth-consecutive victory over Iowa State. The Indians swept a three-game series against the club last year.

RHP Brandon Smith, who had inherited a Hilz batter in the top of seventh, closed out the game for his first win of the season. He was charged with three hits, three runs - all of which were earned - and one walk.

RHP Tommy Thomas, the Indians starter who started the game, was perfect through three innings before ISU tagged him with back-to-back singles. Thomas was replaced by Hilz in the sixth after reaching a high-pitch count. Thomas finished with just three hits, one run and eight strikeouts.

ISU's Jason McNertney, who surrendered the two winning runs, was handed his first loss of the season.

The teams will face off tomorrow at noon for the doubleheader to close out the weekend series.