April 20, 2008

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

By Tyler Koonce, Baseball Contact

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - True freshman Trenton Moses registered a pinch hit, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday to lead Southeast Missouri State past league-leading Samford, 7-6, Sunday at Capaha Field. The teams battled back and forth as the game was tied on three different occasions.

With the scored tied and one out in the ninth, Jim Klocke hit a flare single into left-center field. He moved around to third as the bases became loaded on walks to Nick Harris and Zachary Blemker before Moses delivered the game-winning hit.

In the bottom of the first inning, Matt Wagner singled to left-center to score Tyrell Cummings from second base. Cummings reached on a two-base error on the previous pitch.

Samford answered back in the top of the second when Wayne Miller hit an RBI single through the left side that brought in Bear Burnett. Burnett drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second when John Morgan was hit by a pitch.

Burnett gave Samford a 2-1 lead the next inning with a double into the right field corner that enabled Michael Marseco to score all the way from first base. The standout shortstop led off the frame with a solid single to center.

Freshman Blake Slattery tied the game at two with his first career home run to straightaway center field in the bottom of the third.

Redshirt junior first basemen Matt Wagner followed suit with a solo shot of his own down the right field line in the fourth. It was his eighth blast of the season, which ties him for second on the team with Nick Harris.

Tyrell Cummings made it three innings in a row with a SEMO home run when he hit his team-leading tenth round-tripper of the season. The two-run shot brought Justin Wheeler home, who singled through the left side one batter earlier. Cummings became the first Southeast player to reach double figures since Brian Hopkins (18), Zach Borowiak (15) and Justin Christian (13) in 2003.

Later in the fifth, Zachary Blemker hit a run-scoring triple off the base of the wall in right-center to bring Matt Wagner across the plate.

Samford got two of the runs back in the top of the sixth. Michael Rutledge struck out swinging to lead off but reached first safely when the pitch went to the backstop. Burnett followed with his second RBI double of the game. Two batters later, Drew Reagan hit a run-scoring double of his own to right-center to score Burnett and cut the lead to 6-4.

Just like game two Saturday, the teams continued the back-and-forth battle as the Bulldogs scored twice in the eighth to tie the game at six. Miller came through with the two-run single through the left side, scoring Howard and pinch runner Matt Zauchin.

Lance Rhodes (1-3) earned the victory after throwing 1.1 perfect innings, retiring all four batters he faced.

Joshua Vanfleteren (2-2) was saddled with the loss after pitching 3.1 innings and allowing just the one earned run, which was inherited after he exited the game before the final at-bat.

Josh Syberg made the start for the Redhawks and threw six effective innings, scattering six hits and four earned runs. He struck out six and issued only one walk.

Wagner and Cummings led the offense with two RBIs.

Wayne Miller finished with two doubles and three RBIs for Samford. Standout shortstop Michael Marseco added two more hits and finished 9-15 during the series.

Southeast returns to the diamond Tuesday for a 6 p.m. start at Arkansas State in Jonesboro. They will host Austin Peay for three games starting Saturday at 1 p.m. from Capaha Field.