CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri built a big lead and held it, beating SIUE 13-3 in the final game of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference baseball series at Capaha Field.
SEMO won the series and improved to 5-1 in OVC play and 14-14 overall. SIUE fell to 3-3 in the OVC and 9-19 overall.
The Redhawks took a 6-0 lead in the first inning, touching up SIUE starter Kyle Athmer for five hits. Ty Stauss's two-run home run was the biggest blow of the inning.
"The big first inning was hard to overcome," SIUE Head Coach Sean Lyons said. "Offensively, we couldn't muster enough in bunches."
Athmer (1-1) lasted just one-third of an inning. He allowed the six runs and walked two.
"We didn't get the starting pitching we needed this weekend," Lyons added.
SEMO added single runs in the third and fourth innings. Stauss hit his second homer of the game in the fourth inning.
It was 9-0 SEMO when the Cougars got on the board in the seventh inning. Daniel Gierer was hit by a pitch and Johsua Heyder walked before Drew Mize doubled off the top of the centerfield wall to score Gierer. Lucas Spence drove in a second run when he grounded out to second base. Chase Bloomer made it 9-3 with a sacrifice fly to deep right center.
SEMO finished things off with a run in the eighth and three in the ninth.
Joseph Martin, Duncan McLaughlin and Liam McKillop followed Athmer, combining for six innings. The trio allowed four runs, but struck out eight.
"Martin, McLaughlin and McKillop did a nice job of limiting them out of the bullpen," Lyons said.
Southeast Missouri starter Same Heyman (3-0) worked six innings, allowing all three runs on six hits. He struck out five.
Six different players had a single hit for the Cougars, who were outhit 14-6 by the Redhawks. Spence was 1-4 with an RBI, extending his hitting streak to 13 games. Mize was 1-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Bloomer also had a hit and an RBI.
SIUE will play at Saint Louis Tuesday before playing host to Illinois State Wednesday.
"We have two midweek games to figure some things out before UT Martin comes in next weekend," Lyons said.
