April 4, 2007

Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - (Tuesday, April 3, 2007) Pitching and defense have been the keys to success for the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks baseball team for most of this spring, but on Tuesday at Missouri State neither were there as the Redhawks lost 16-3.

The Redhawks (19-9) gave up 16 runs before the game's end, tying the season-high they gave up to Freed-Hardeman on March 28. Five of the runs scored unearned as a result of three Southeast errors.

Starter James Leigh (Bryant, Ark./Texarkana) was hit hard early and pitched just one and one-third innings. The left-handed sophomore allowed six runs, although just three were earned, on three hits and three walks.

Nolan Keane hit a towering fly ball that landed atop the Springfield Cardinals offices beyond the right field wall that was originally called a foul ball by the first base umpire. However, after an umpire among the three officials, the call was reversed and Keane's two-run homer put the Bears on top 2-1 before an out was ever recorded in the first inning. Missouri State added a third run when Kyle Paul hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.

The Bears scored three more runs in the second inning, all of which were unearned after two Southeast errors. Leigh made way for senior reliever Brent Lawson (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) with one out in the inning after two runs had already scored.

Lawson didn't get much more help from the defense either in the third inning when the Bears plated two more unearned runs as a result of the Redhawks' third error in two innings.

Southeast relievers Mike Taylor (McClure, Ill./Shawnee HS) and Matt Carter (Carlinville, Ill./Carlinville HS) allowed another set of runs in the fifth inning as Missouri State extended their lead to 10. Taylor failed to retire any of the four batters he faced after starting the inning.

The Bears scored three more runs in the sixth and single runs in the seventh and eighth frames.

The Redhawks scored just three runs on Tuesday; it was the first time they scored three runs or less since March 10 when they hosted Illinois State.

Freshman Nick Harris (Alabaster, Ala./Thompson HS) scored his conference-leading 34th run of the season in the first inning after he doubled down the right field line with two outs. Senior Asif Shah (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wabash Valley CC) drove Harris across the plate with a single up the middle.

Southeast added a run in the eighth on senior Robby Moore's (Rombauer, Mo./Jefferson CC) single. Junior Sean Zollner (Sparta, Ill./Sparta HS) scored in the ninth when sophomore Matt Wulfers (Cape Girardeau, Mo./Missouri) hit a two-out double to right field.

Harris led the Redhawks at the plate with his team-best 14th multiple hit game of the season; he was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

Freshman Jim Klocke (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney HS) had his hitting streak snapped at 10 games after going 0-for-2 prior to being pinch-hit for in the sixth inning.

Meanwhile, senior Omar Padilla (Point Reyes Station, Calif./Santa Rosa CC) extended his hitting streak to nine games. The first team all-conference second baseman of a year ago has now hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games.

Southeast and the Bears will complete their two-game midweek affair on Wednesday at Hammons Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the game can be heard live in ESPN 1220 KGI or via webcast available at www.1220espn.com.