SUNDAY'S SCORES
Southeast Missouri 6, @#5 Arkansas 3
Kansas State 7,
Southeast Missouri 2
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6, #5 ARKANSAS 3
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - #4 Southeast Missouri Baseball (36-26) defeated the #5 national seed in the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament Arkansas (44-16) by a final score of 6-3 on Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
With the win, the Redhawks advanced to the first NCAA Regional final in school history and the first in Head Coach Andy Sawyers' tenure.
RHP Collin Wilma started the game on the mound for the Redhawks and stifled an Arkansas offense allowing just one hit over 4.2 innings of work. He punched out six Razorbacks and allowed just one run in the outing.
The SEMO bullpen picked up the rest of the game beginning with an unbelievable performance from LHP Logan Katen (2-0) who entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs. He threw 2.1 innings without allowing a run and just three hits.
RHP Kyle Miller picked up his eighth save of the season. The all-time saves and appearances leader in SEMO history came in in the ninth with one out after a two-run Arkansas home run to make it 6-3. Miller struck out the first hitter he faced and ended the game with a fly ball to left field.
Designated hitter Ty Stauss got the Redhawks on the board in the first inning with a two-out, solo home run to left field off RHP Gage Wood (3-2). The blast was Stauss' ninth of the season to give SEMO a 1-0 lead after the first frame.
A big three-run, fourth inning for the Redhawks started with a leadoff double by short stop Ben Palmer grew SEMO's advantage midway through the game.
A walk to Stauss brought right fielder Josh Cameron to the plate as he singled through the right side to plate Palmer. Cameron finished the day 2-for-4 at the plate with the RBI.
Stauss advanced to third on the play as center fielder Michael Mugan stepped to the plate. Mugan reached on a fielder's choice and a close play at the plate allowed Stauss to score to make it 3-0 SEMO.
With Stauss on first and Cameron on second, a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Bryce Cannon moved the runners up 90-feet. Left fielder Ian Riley hit a single to right field to score Mugan to make it 4-0 SEMO after the fourth inning.
Arkansas would get on the board in the fifth with a solo home run from left fielder Peyton Holt, but second baseman Brooks Kettering matched him in the home fifth with his ninth home run of the season to make it 5-1.
The Redhawks would add another run in the seventh inning on an RBI single from Kettering off RHP Will McEntire, scoring Ian Riley to make it 6-1.
Arkansas would try to fight back with a two-run home run in the top of the ninth, but Miller slammed the door to advance SEMO to the regional final.
KANSAS STATE 7, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (36-27) fell in the 2024 NCAA Regional Championship Final on Sunday night to Kansas State (35-24) by a final score of 7-2 from Baum-Walker Stadium.
SEMO finished the season with a 36-27 overall record and represented the Ohio Valley Conference in the NCAA Tournament Regionals after winning the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
The run included victories over #2-seed Louisiana Tech and the national #5-seed Arkansas in Baum-Walker Stadium to advance to the championship round.
The Redhawks, playing in the first regional final in school history, ended the regional with six Redhawks on the All-Fayetteville Regional Team as second baseman Brooks Kettering, outfielder Josh Cameron, designated hitter Ty Stauss, RHP Collin Wilma, RHP Payton Lawrence, and LHP Logan Katen were all selected to the team.
SEMO's bullpen continued its incredible form in the final game as senior pitchers Tommy Windt & Esteban Hernandez finished the final 4.2 innings and did not allow a run.
Combined, the duo gave up just three hits in their final outing in a Redhawk uniform.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning after a scoreless first inning by RHP Sam Heyman (5-4).
A walk, a single, and two-straight RBI singles by David Bishop and Danniel Rivera, respectively, gave KSU a 2-0 lead.
An RBI ground out and another RBI single through the right-side made it 4-0 KSU after two innings.
Kansas State scored their seventh and final run with three in the third inning via an RBI single by Bishop to make it 5-0.
A two-RBI single by the Wildcats would make it 7-0 KSU after the third inning.
The Redhawks would fight back with a two-run home run by first baseman Bryce Cannon in the top of the eighth inning. The blast was Cannon's 14th of the season and his 52nd & 53rd RBIs of the season to make it 7-2.
The runs were all SEMO could muster as the Wildcats held on to win the Fayetteville Regional and advance to the NCAA Super Regional round.