West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's baseball team concluded its final home game of the 2024 season at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium on Sunday, facing off against Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) in a decisive match. After splitting the series earlier, Western Illinois aimed for a series victory but was overpowered by SEMO's offensive performance.

The Redhawks initiated the scoring with a one-run first inning. However, Western starter Kyle Rosenfeld managed to contain them in the second inning. The Leathernecks recorded their first hits in the second inning through Kyree Alexander and Chris Hege but were unable to score.

SEMO extended their lead with a home run in the third inning, making it 3-0. Western Illinois responded as Alexander hit an RBI single, narrowing the gap to two runs.

In the fourth inning, SEMO regained their three-run advantage. Jackson Rodgers entered as pitcher for Western Illinois and successfully ended the fifth inning with a strikeout, maintaining a 4-1 scoreline.

Western Illinois leveled the game in the fifth inning with three runs from RBI singles by J.R. Heavilin, Chris Hege, and Brock Lummus. This marked the last tie of the game as SEMO hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Adam Juran of Western Illinois responded with a solo home run, reducing SEMO's lead to one run.

SEMO further extended their lead with another home run in the seventh inning and delivered a significant seven-run eighth inning that included three homers, resulting in a 15-5 lead.

Despite loading bases in the eighth and scoring three runs from RBI singles by Alexander and Hege, Western Illinois could not close the gap further. Both Alexander and Hege finished with three hits each.

The Redhawks capped off their performance with two solo home runs in the ninth inning, securing a final score of 17-8.

Western Illinois will travel to Southern Indiana next weekend to conclude their regular season games.