Southeast Missouri State baseball starts fast, holds on for 8-4 win over Saint Louis

Southeast Missouri State's Danny Wright swings at a pitch during a game against Tennessee Tech on Friday at Capaha Field. Southeast beat Saint Louis 8-4 on Monday.

TYLER GRAEF

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team pounced on Saint Louis early and then held on for an 8-4 win on Monday at Capaha Field.

Southeast scored seven runs in the first two innings and then didn't record a hit after the fourth inning. That early lead was enough, though, as Aaron Stretch tossed a scoreless final three innings to record the save.

Stretch entered with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh, the potential tying run at home plate. He proceeded to strike out the next three batters to end the threat. Stretch struck out five while walking one and giving up no hits.

With the win, Southeast (18-23) salvage split the season series with SLU (17-22), which had defeated the Redhawks earlier this month.

"I thought the deciding point of the game was the top of the seventh," Southeast coach Andy Sawyers said on SEMO ESPN radio. "Aaron threw maybe 10 pitches on the weekend, so he's really rested and I had the confidence he could go all three (innings). He bailed us out."

The Billikens opened the scoring in the first on a Jake Garella RBI double. Southeast responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame as Danny Wright scored on a wild pitch and Peyton Faulkner came home on an Austin Blazevic single to left field.

SLU tied the game in the top of the second before Southeast exploded for five runs to take a 7-2 lead after two innings. SLU never got closer than four the rest of the way.

All five runs came with two outs as Blazevic produced a two-RBI single, Alex Nielsen followed with a run-scoring base hit and Devon Wilson drove them both in with a triple.

"Our guys, I thought they competed really well offensively," Sawyers said. "I thought we were good offensively. We had some good hits."

Nielsen had three of Southeast's 12 hits, and Wilson and Blazevic both had two.

Daniel Bergtholdt got the win in relief, tossing 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball.

Drew Reveno took the loss for the Billikens, who hit three home runs. He gave up seven runs on eight hits in two innings.

Southeast is back in action at 6 p.m. Tuesday when it hosts Division II McKendree in its Green Up Game, which raises awareness for organ donations.

WP -- Daniel Bergtholdt. LP -- D. Reveno. SV -- Aaron Stretch. HR -- Cole Dubet (SL), Shane Benes (SL), Ben Livorsi (SL). 3B -- Devon Wilson (SEMO). 2B -- Scott Youngbrandt (SL) 2, Jake Garella (SL), Peyton Faulkner (SEMO). Multiple hits -- Saint Louis: Youngbrandt 2-4. Southeast: Austin Blazevic 2-4, Nielsen 3-4, Wilson 2-4.