SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Southeast Missouri 12, Austin Peay 11 (13 innings)
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 12, AUSTIN PEAY 11 (13)
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri baseball was up 11-2 going to the eighth inning Sunday but Austin Peay State University put up nine runs over two innings to tie the game and force extra innings. Nolan Fisher drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning to down the Govs, 12-11, and take the series.
Southeast climbs to 19-12 on the season and 11-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play. With the win, Southeast has won all five of its OVC series this season. Austin Peay is now 16-12, 9-6 OVC.
Trevor Ezell and Hunter Leeper were each a leg shy of hitting for the cycle Sunday; Ezell a double short and Leeper a home run short. Ezell finished the game going 4-for-6 with three runs scored and three RBI.
Sunday's game was the longest of the season for Southeast, going 13 innings and lasting four hours and 36 minutes.
Ezell led off the game for Southeast with a home run, his second of the season, to right-center field to put Southeast on the board, 1-0, in the first. Southeast would load the bases with one out but couldn't capitalize on the situation in the early inning.
Leeper led off the second with a base hit to left. After two quick outs, a hit by Jason Blum and a walk to Andy Lennington loaded the bases. Ryan Rippee reached for one at the plate that the first baseman couldn't handle down the line in shallow right field that dropped for a hit, allowing two runs to score. Another walk loaded the bases and knocked Austin Peay stater Zach Hall out of the game in only the second inning. Branden Boggetto drilled a double down the left field line to drive in two more and extend the lead to 5-0 after two innings.
With a pair of runners on in the bottom of the fifth, Ezell drove a triple to right field to plate both runners and widen the Redhawk lead to 7-0.
Leeper hit the Redhawks' second triple of the game to plate two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, widening the lead to 9-0.
The Governors got on the board in the seventh inning with a two-run home run by Logan Gray, 9-2 Southeast Missouri.
The Redhawks' 10th run scored on a balk in the bottom of the seventh. Lennington then poked one past the second baseman to plate Blum and bring the lead back to nine runs, 11-2.
Gray homered in the eighth inning, this time a three-run home run, to bring the score to 11-5.
The wheels fell off the Redhawks wagon in the ninth inning. The Govs put up six runs in the inning to erase the Redhawk lead and tie the game at 11 runs each. The game was tied on Gray's third home run in as many at bats.
The Redhawks loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 11th but couldn't drive in the winning run from third, continuing the game.
Ezell hit a one-out single up the middle in the 13th inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a fly out, Fisher stepped in and hit a base hit off a leaping third baseman into left field, scoring Ezell and walking off, 12-11.
Southeast outhit the Govs 18-14 in the game. Rippee and Leeper each had three hits while Boggetto had two.
Alex Winkelman once again suffered a no decision. Winkelman pitched seven innings, allowed two hits on five hits. He struck out four and walked two. Southeast used six pitchers in the game. Ryan Lenaburg (2-2) picked up the win for the Redhawks. Lena burg pitched two-thirds of an inning and retired both batters he faced in the top of the 13th.
Gray's three hits were all home runs. He drove in seven runs total with his three homers. Patrick Massoni also had three hits in the game.
Nine total pitchers were used for the Govs in the game. Levi Primasing (2-1) recorded the loss in his third appearance of the series. Primasing allowed the winning run in the 13th.