Redhawks Season Comes to a Close in Championship Round :: Southeast fell 7-4 in a championship round game against tournament champs Eastern Illinois

Southeast fell 7-4 in a championship round game against tournament champs Eastern Illinois

May 24, 2008

PADUCAH, Ky. - After avenging a second-round loss against Jacksonville State by eliminating the regular season champion Gamecocks in a 6-4 win at Noon on Saturday, the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks soared into a championship round game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.

The emotionally charged Southeast ball club made history, becoming the first ever No. 6 seed to play in a championship round game since the six-team format began in 1997 as they matched up against the Panthers at 3:30 p.m. at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky.

Unfortunately for the Redhawks (26-26), the No. 4 Eastern Illinois offense came out swinging against a Southeast pitching staff that had been taxed by four previous tournament games. The Panthers scored six early runs in the first two innings, including a solo home run by first baseman Alex Gee.

Regardless of the early deficit, junior right-hander Todd Strahlendorf stepped up to give Southeast another impressive outing on the mound in relief. Strahlendorf entered the game for starter Josh Manning with two runners on and one out in the second inning with the score 3-0 in favor of the Panthers.

Eastern Illinois doubled their lead before the end of the inning, but Strahlendorf went on to provide the Redhawks with five consecutive scoreless innings before he exited in the eighth inning. He was charged with just one run on four hits in five and two-thirds innings pitched, giving the Redhawks offense a chance to get back in the game.

The Southeast offense took advantage of the chance provided by Strahlendorf with three runs in the fifth inning. Justin Wheeler and OVC All-Tournament designated hitter Matt Wulfers hit back-to-back singles to start the inning, and Tony Spencer and Zac Blemker provided consecutive RBI singles. Blemker's single scored a pair of runs after Spencer advanced to second on a stolen base.

Wulfers added another run with an RBI single up the middle in the sixth inning that scored Klocke from second and cut the Eastern Illinois lead to 6-4.

However, the Panthers countered with closer Scott Foley to start the seventh inning, and the Redhawks managed just one hit against the right-hander.

Eastern Illinois added a run in the top of the ninth against Ivan Nails, and Foley retired the Redhawks in order in the bottom half of the inning for his sixth save of the season and the 2008 OVC Baseball Championship crown. The Panthers receive the league's automatic bid to an NCAA Regional, which gets underway next weekend.

In addition to Wulfers, the Redhawks also placed Klocke, Matt Wagner and Dustin Renfrow on the 2008 OVC All-Tournament Team.

Wagner had five RBIs in a 2-for-3 performance at the plate against Jacksonville State in the earlier game, and he finished the tournament with 11 RBIs, which was just one shy of the OVC Baseball Tournament record since the tournament moved to Paducah in 2001.

The Redhawks end the season 26-26 after a 3-2 showing in Paducah, finishing .500 or better for the 11th time in head coach Mark Hogan's 14 season at Southeast. They also ended the season with a new school record for fielding percentage, fielding .968 on the year and committed just one error in the tournament.

Southeast will return all but six graduating seniors, including three All-OVC First Team selections and all three OVC All-Tournament Team selections, to next year's squad which will attempt to make its 15th consecutive appearance in the OVC Baseball Championship.