April 16, 2005

Box Score

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - (Saturday, April 16, 2005) The Redhawks baseball team split an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader with Austin Peay, Saturday at Raymond C. Hand Park in Clarksville, Tennessee. The visiting Redhawks won the first game, 6-4, before the Govs used a walk-off home run to win game two, 5-3.

Southeast Missouri (13-20, 4-7 OVC) shocked the crowd at Raymond C. Hand Park with a five-run first inning off Austin Peay starter and reigning co-OVC Pitcher of the Week Rowdy Hardy.

The first two men in the game reached before Hardy recorded back-to-back strikeouts. However, the third out proved elusive as the next five men reached, batting in all five runs before the 10th man to the plate popped out to end the inning.

The Redhawks added another run in the fourth, cashing in a Jordan Payne leadoff double to take a 6-0 lead.

Austin Peay (20-14, 6-5 OVC) saw its first nine men retired in order before breaking through in the bottom of the fourth for one run. The Govs battled back in the fifth, scoring three times and putting the potential game-tying run on base, but a pickoff at third base ended the threat with the Govs trailing, 6-4.

Southeast Missouri starter Derek Herbig (2-2) allowed just four runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four in 6.1 innings. Jamie McAlister came on in relief to save the game, throwing 2.2 innings of hitless ball, striking out one.

The Redhawks posted 11 hits, Payne going 3-for-5 and Frank Montiel adding a 2-for-4 performance.

Both teams jumped out early in the second game, the Redhawks using back-to-back singles - the second an RBI single by Freddy Lopez - to score the game's first run.

The Govs responded in their half of the first with a two-run home run by Jared Walker to take their first lead of the day, 2-1.

APSU tacked on another run in the third as Walker's sacrifice fly brought home Youngblood who led the inning off with a triple.

Southeast Missouri tied the game in the sixth, using three consecutive singles to load the bases. Brent Lawson would fly out to left field, scoring a run. But Frank Montiel attempted to get to third on the play and reached there as the Govs relay throw sailed wide of the bag. Montiel scampered home with the game-tying run.

That chased junior Jamie Ganz and brought out senior Brad Daniel, who promptly got a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning.

Both team's went quietly in their next turn at the plate, the Govs sixth inning ending with a double play while the Redhawks seventh ended the same way.

Austin Peay came to the plate in the seventh and pinch hitter Bo Baker led off the inning with a single. After a Chris Poynter sacrifice bunt, senior Jeremy Cabbage nailed an 0-1 pitch for a walk-off home run to right field.

Daniel (4-1) picked up the win in relief, holding SEMO scoreless in 1.2 innings, walking one and striking out two.

Joey Evans (5-4) saw his complete-game effort go for naught as he allowed five runs on eight hits while walking none and striking out five.

Montiel and Lopez each had two hits for the Redhawks.

Ernie Bracamonte extended his hitting streak to 15 games as he went 1-3 in each game of the twinbill.

The two teams play the series' rubber match at 1 p.m., Sunday, at Raymond C. Hand Park.