Southeast Missouri State baseball claims series finale against Tennessee Tech

Southeast Missouri State's Josh Haggerty hits an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning against Tennessee Tech on Saturday at Capaha Field. The game was suspended for inclement weather and continued Sunday, as the Redhawks won 11-9.

Wayne McPherson ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team picked up right where it left off following a suspension of play in its Ohio Valley Conference series finale against Tennessee Tech, defeating the Golden Eagles 11-9 when action resumed Sunday afternoon at Capaha Field.

The Redhawks held a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when a thunderstorm rolled into the area and interrupted Saturday's action, and the two teams reconvened at 3 p.m. Sunday to complete the game.

Southeast (22-20, 12-12 OVC) out-hit TTU 17-14 and was led by Chris Osborne, Tristen Gagan and Chris Caffrey, who each finished with three hits. Caffrey drove in three runs, while Gagan had two RBIs.

Daniel Bergtholdt (1-0) took the mound to pitch in the top of the sixth and became the pitcher of record when the Redhawks regained the lead in the bottom of the inning. Bergtholdt pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits.

SEMO's Joey Burris recorded his second save of the year when he entered in the top of the ninth and retired the final two batters of the game.

Neither team's starting pitcher made it beyond the first inning. Ryan Losman threw the first inning for Southeast but gave up two home runs and a double, allowing TTU (32-14, 18-3) to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Kevin Strohschein hit a two-run homer before Chase Chambers followed with a solo shot.

Golden Eagles starter Ty King exited with two down in the bottom of the first after giving up two runs on three hits. Dan Holst led off with a home run before Osborne split the gap in left-center field for a double. Caffrey drove in Osborne on a double to right-center, cutting the Redhawks' deficit to 3-2.

Devin Lancaster relieved King and pitched 3 1/3 innings before the game was suspended. He didn't return on Sunday, as Nick Osborne (2-2) surrendered four runs to record the pitching loss.

Left-handed pitcher Nate Green replaced Losman and worked a scoreless second before Trevor Putzig homered down the left-field line to lead off the third, pushing TTU's lead to 4-2.

The Redhawks used six straight singles in the bottom of the third to score three runs and take a 5-4 lead. Danny Wright drove in a run to tie the game on a two-out single before pinch-hitter Josh Haggerty plated the go-ahead run on a base hit up the middle.

Gagan laced a double to left-center to start things off in the bottom of the fifth, just before the game was sent into a lightning delay and eventually suspended.

When the two teams returned on Sunday, Chambers hit a leadoff homer in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 5-5.

But Southeast countered with four runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead for good.

Kyle Bottger drew a walk and Holst was hit by a pitch, and both moved into scoring position on a groundout by Osborne. Brian Lees drove in Bottger on an infield single before Gagan singled up the middle to score Holst. Chase Burkett took the mound to relieve Osborne and threw a wild pitch to move both runners into scoring position, and Caffrey followed with a two-run double down the left-field line, giving the Redhawks a 9-5 advantage.

In the top of the seventh, the Golden Eagles pulled within 9-6 when Putzig scored on a wild pitch, but Osborne regained the run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single.

Southeast added some insurance in the bottom of the eighth when Basler drove in Wright on a squeeze bunt, widening the lead to 11-6.

TTU made one final push in the ninth, as Alex Junior led off with a single and scored from first on a double by Putzig. Ryan Flick followed with a two-run homer to right, cutting the Golden Eagles' deficit to 11-9, but Burris came on in relief to strike out Chambers and induce a groundout by Chris Brown to end the game.

Putzig paced TTU on offense, finishing 5-for-5 with two doubles and a home run. He had two RBIs and scored four times.

The win snaps a four-game skid for Southeast, which will now take the road for seven games, beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Saint Louis.

The Redhawks are 3-0 this season against in-state competition.