Murray State
Southeast Missouri
'Breds Score Five In The Ninth, Fall In The 11th
3/31/2007 5:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds overcame a 5-0 deficit in the ninth inning but fell to visiting Southeast Missouri State 6-5 in 11 innings this afternoon at MSU's Reagan Field.
The second game of the Ohio Valley Conference double-header was rained out, and the teams will play two seven-inning games on Sunday, beginning at noon.
The long ball hurt the 'Breds (5-18, 2-2 OVC) early on, as SEMO's Nick Harris hit a solo shot in the third inning, followed by a two-run job by Matt Wagner to put the Redhawks ahead 4-0 after three innings. Southeast Missouri (18-7, 4-0 OVC) added a run in the ninth inning to increase its lead to 5-0, threatening to give Murray State its first shutout of the season.
In the bottom of the ninth, however, freshman left fielder Chad Allen led off with a single, then moved to second on a single by sophomore third baseman Tyler Owen. Senior right fielder Jamie Leidolf walked to load the bases, and sophomore shortstop Justin Yount put MSU on the board with a two-run single, scoring Allen and Owen and moving Leidolf to third. Senior designated hitter Austin Swain then lined a double down the right-field line to score Leidolf and Yount, then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior second baseman Seth Hudson. Senior first baseman James Akin popped a single to left field to score Swain and knot the game at 5-5.
In the top of the 11th inning, Omar Padilla sent a 2-0 pitch over the left-field wall to put SEMO ahead 6-5. In the bottom half of the inning, Swain drew a one-out walk, then went to second on a passed ball. Hudson then walked, but Akin flied out to center and senior catcher Jason Payton hit a sharp liner to third that Harris was able to hold on to for the final out.
Owen led the 'Breds batters, going 4-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Swain went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two runs batted in, while Akin went 2-for-6 with an RBI. Defensively, Akin and senior center fielder Tyler Pittman had seven putouts apiece, while Owen had a co-game-high three assists.
For SEMO, five Redhawks each had two hits. Padilla and Harris each had a double and a home run, while Wagner hit a home run and Matt Wulfers had a triple. Padilla scored twice for Southeast Missouri, while Wagner had two RBIs. Defensively, first baseman Wagner had eight putouts, while second baseman Padilla and pitcher Josh Parham each had three assists.
On the mound, freshman right-hander Brad Rowland (1-4, 0-1 OVC) took the loss, allowing one run on one hit, striking out one in 1-2/3 innings. Junior lefty Lucas Allen got the start, allowing four runs on five hits, walking five in 6-1/3 innings. Freshman left-hander Matt McGaha came on in the seventh, allowing one run on three hits, striking out one in three innings of work.
For Southeast Missouri State, Parham (3-2, 2-0 OVC) got the win, allowing one hit, striking out one and walking three in three innings of relief. Dustin Renfrow got the start, allowing no runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two in seven innings. Ivan Nails came on in the eighth inning, allowing five runs on four hits, striking out one and walking one in one inning.
