OXFORD, Ala. – Southeast Missouri salvaged the final game of the Ohio Valley Conference weekend series with an extra inning, 4-1, decision over Jacksonville State on Saturday at Choccolocco Park.
Despite the loss, the Gamecocks (18-14, 8-7 OVC) claimed the conference series over SEMO for the first time since sweeping the Redhawks (16-20, 11-7 OVC) in 2013. Jax State won a Friday doubleheader over SEMO with a 7-0 win in the opener and completed the twinbill sweep with a walk-off win, 7-6.
Saturday's outing was a pitchers duel between JSU's Colton Pate and SEMO's Carlos Vega. The two right handers combined for 273 total pitches and 17.2 innings of work. With SEMO breaking a 1-1 deadlock in the 10th with three runs, Vega came out on top and improved to 6-3 overall. Vega was touched for six hits and the only run he allowed was an unearned run. He tallied nine strikeouts and allowed two free passes in his 37 batters faced. Pate was equally impressive and registered a career-high 8.2 innings of work in a no decision. The Lincoln, Alabama native collected a season-best nine strikeouts on the day and limited SEMO to four hits.
Jax State's lone run came in the fifth against Vega after a pair of errors by the SEMO infield opened the door for the first run of the contest. With the bases loaded, senior Taylor Hawthorne lifted a fly ball to left field for the RBI sacrifice fly.
Pate ran in to the trouble in the seventh after a pair of one-out singles by SEMO's Tristen Gagan and Justin Dirden. With two outs in the inning and the two Redhawks in scoring position, Gagan scored on a wild pitch from Pate. With the go-ahead run at third base, Pate limited the damage with his eighth of nine strikeouts to end the frame.
JSU had chances to take the lead in the eighth and ninth with base runners on base, but could not get the key hit. The Gamecocks stranded nine in the setback.
A leadoff walk by senior Trent Simpson started everything for SEMO in the three-run 10th. After Wade Stauss worked the walk, he was pushed to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a ground ball out. Simpson's second walk of the inning came against Peyton Faulkner to give Trevr Ezell the run-scoring opportunity. Ezell laced the first pitch he saw from Simpson back up the middle for the go-ahead RBI. Gagan, who was the lone Redhawk to have multiple hits against JSU pitching, recorded his second hit of the day with a bases-clearing double. Simpson suffered his second loss of the season.
Simpson and senior Hayden White were the two Gamecocks to have at least two hits. White was 2-for-4 on the day and reached three times. He extended his hitting streak to 15 consecutive games. Freshmen Cole Frederick and Alex Strachan posted hits on Saturday.
JSU will host in-state foe Alabama State on Tuesday at Choccolocco Park before traveling to Nashville, Tennessee next weekend for an OVC set with the Bruins of Belmont, beginning on Friday, April 20. First pitch between the Gamecocks and Hornets is set for 6 p.m. Admission is free to all JSU students and all fans 18 years old and younger. The game will also be available on the OVC Digital Network and the Gamecock Sports Network.
