Semoball

Southeast Missouri State baseball goes cold at plate in 5-2 loss to Saint Louis

A slow start doomed Southeast Missouri State baseball to a loss Tuesday.

SEMO gave up five runs in the first four innings and didn't get a hit until the seventh, falling 5-2 to host Saint Louis at the Billikens Sports Complex in St. Louis.

Coming off an impressive victory over Tennessee Tech on Sunday, which ended the Golden Eagles' nation-high 28-game winning streak, the bats were quiet for SEMO against the Billikens.

With the victory, SLU (29-15) avoided the season sweep, as SEMO (21-24) had won the first two meetings between these teams.

Ashton Holyfield took the loss for the Redhawks, giving up four runs, six hits and one walk in three innings while striking out five. Three of those runs came in the third inning as the Billikens broke the game open.

Back-to-back doubles from Parker Sniatynski and Jake Garella plated the first two runs in the third. Garella then scored on a Redhawks error.

Sniatynski, Garella, Nick Reeser and Alex King all had two hits each for SLU, which out-hit SEMO 10-3.

Connor Lehmann didn't allow a hit in six innings to pick up the win, as just two Redhawks reached base against the SLU starter. By the time, he exited the game, the Billikens held a comfortable 5-0 lead.

SEMO got on the board in the seventh with Trevor Ezell breaking up the combined no-hitter and extending the inning with a two-out single. Following a walk to Tristen Gagan, Justin Dirden produced an infield single to score Ezell.

The Redhawks added another run in the eighth on an RBI single by Devon Wilson, but it wasn't enough.

SLU's Ryan Lefner earned his seventh save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

SEMO closes out an eight-game road stretch with a three-game, non-conference series against Lipscomb this weekend. The series begins with a 6 p.m. game Friday.

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