The Jackets played their last midweek game on the same day as their after-midnight loss to UVA in Charlottesville. The Southeast Missouri Redhawks (22-27) play in the Ohio Valley Conference and last played Tech four times in 1998, including the regional in Wichita. The Yellow Jackets would be the victors, winning 8-5.
Jake Lee got the call and faced faced senior RHP Joey Burris. Neither figured in the eventual Tech win as the Jackets spread the offensive production and pitching duties around.
The Jackets loaded the bases with no outs in their first , but it looked bleak after Kyle McCann softly grounded into an easy double play. Then Tristin English fell behind in the count 1-2, but “Mr. Doubles” came through with a line drive in the right center gap to make it 2-0 Tech after one.
Austin Wilhite led off the Tech second with a hard-earned walk, stole second, and then scored on an Oscar Serratos single with no outs. The Redhawks brought in junior LHP Wesley Pyles who walked Baron Radcliff. Following a Chase Murray bunt, Wade Bailey grounded out to drive in Serratos, making it 4-0.
Bailey Combs came in to pitch the third, but quickly got into trouble with a hit and two walks before coaxing a 6-4-3 double play that scored a run. Unfortunately, Justin Dirden blasted a ball way over the right field wall, and it was suddenly 4-3 before the third out could be recorded.
Jared Datoc came in to pitch the fourth with only a slim lead. Pyles was pitching very well, meanwhile, and struck out the side in the Tech fourth.
Then, with two outs in the Redhawks’ fifth, Trevor Ezell hit a solo homer that barely cleared the leaping Murray in left to tie the game. The tie didn’t last long, though, as Bailey singled and McCann doubled him home with one out.
SEMO brought in senior RHP Ryan Losman to face English. After he grounded out, Colin Hall picked him up with a two-out RBI single making it 6-4 after five with light sprinkles beginning.
Datoc pitched out of some two-out trouble in the sixth when runners reached the corners before a grounder to second for out three.
Jonathan Hughes came in to pitch the seventh, and Nick Wilhite replaced Radcliff in the outfield after pinch running for him in the Tech sixth. After Hughes got through the inning, Bart singled to lead off and junior LHP Aaron Stretch came in to face McCann and retired Tech with no runs.
In the top of the eighth, SEMO got two infield hits to put two on with one out. But the inning ended dramatically when Nick Wilhite caught a fly deep in center field and threw via a Bailey relay to his brother covering second to get the base runner trying to advance.
The Jackets got some welcome insurance in their eighth when Serratos walked and moved to third on Nick Wilhite’s single. Murray drove him in with a ground out before Bailey walked and Bart singled in Wilhite to make it 8-4.
The RedHawks went to their bullpen again with sophomore RHP Nathan Bock to face McCann. He hit McCann but got English to end the inning.
Hughes came back to try for the save and got it despite giving up a run that scored due to a walk, passed ball, infield single, and fielder’s choice out. English made a nice play to get the out by throwing to second since it was unlikely Hughes could beat the batter to first. The game ended with a deep fly ball caught on the warning track in left almost exactly 24 hours after the start of last night’s game in Virginia.
Datoc got his first win and Hughes his first save with three pretty nice innings. Pyle got the loss as Tech improved to 29-24 and SEMO fell to 22-28. We’ll see if the games against Duke can be played considering the weather forecast.
Tonight at 7:30, be sure to head over to HerbFM Sports Radio, where I have been asked to do an interview to talk about the Yellow Jackets. A link to the interview will be posted here as soon as it’s available.