May 16, 2006

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By Nathan Saverino, Redhawks Sports Information

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Tuesday, May 16, 2006) - A bunt double is an unusual occasion at a ballpark, but one proved to be the game winner in Southeast's non-conference game with Saint Louis University at Capaha Field on Tuesday afternoon.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning and Chris Gibson on third base, Jordan Payne's bunt to the left side of the infield found its way past both the third baseman and the shortstop. Gibson scored the go-ahead run for Southeast (19-30) as Payne motored into second base with a double. With a 7-6 lead, Jamie McAlister came on in the ninth inning to close out the game and earn his second save of the season.

Saint Louis (27-24) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the Redhawks with two runs in each of the first two innings. Southeast starter Asif Shah gave up a two-run homer to designated hitter Greg Rodgers in the first and two more runs in the second as his outing ended after a brief 2.0 innings. He allowed four runs on four hits, walked two, and he struck out three.

After Shah's exit, Michael Taylor pitched his best game of the season to keep the Redhawks in the game. Southeast tallied three unearned runs in the third inning to bring them within one. Gibson was hit by a pitch, and he advanced to second on a two-out error by the first baseman. After Dustin Pritchett reached on four balls, he and Gibson both scored on Andrew Graham's double to right-center. Daryl Graham followed with a single to drive in his younger brother.

Southeast added another run to tie the game at four in the next inning. Daniel Schuh led off the inning with a single and eventually scored on Gibson's sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Meanwhile, Taylor threw 3.2 shutout innings, allowing only three hits and one walk. He also struck out three batters, and he caught all three looking at strike three. With two outs in the sixth, southpaw James Hibbard came in to face left-handed hitting Tim Landy, but recaptured the lead and made it a 6-4 ballgame.

Down but not out, the Redhawks battled back to tie the game on Schuh's two-run double in the bottom of the seventh, and took the lead in the eighth on Payne's bunt double. A solid effort by Andrew Graham (1-0) in the eighth led to his first career win on the mound.

Schuh was 3-4 at the plate, with a hit off of three different pitchers, including the game-tying double in the seventh. He also scored once and drove in two.

Omar Padilla extended his hitting streak to seven games with a 2-5 showing. It was his fourth consecutive multi-hit game, and his team-leading 19th of the season.

Saint Louis used eight pitchers in the game: each pitcher threw 1.0 inning. Eric Mueller (0-2) was eventually tagged with the loss.

Catcher B.J. Rodriguez led the way at the plate for the Billikens. He was 3-4 with two RBIs. Greg Rodgers and Jon Guyre also both homered.

Southeast will look to keep their winning ways alive heading into an early weekend series against Tennessee Tech. The Redhawks trail the OVC's sixth place Golden Eagles by one game going into the final weekend of league play. Only the top six teams in the OVC will be invited to the 2006 O'Reilly OVC Baseball Tournament, so Southeast must win at least two of the three games to have a chance at earning a tournament berth.

The three-game series will kickoff on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. The Redhawks will then honor the seniors on Saturday, and first pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. All three games this weekend can be heard live on Southeast Baseball's flagship station, 1220 KGIR. The broadcasts are also web streamed live, and are available at www.kgir.com.