CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. – The Southeast Missouri baseball team sent its 18 seniors out in style, defeating Eastern Illinois 8-7 and securing a first round bye in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Redhawks improved to 32-20 and 13-8 in OVC play, while the Panthers ended the season with the loss.

Senior Brad LaBruyere improved to 8-2 in his last start at Capaha Field as a Redhawk. He went six innings, gave up three runs, one earned, on five hits, while striking out three batters. Shae Simmons pitched 1.1 innings, gave up four earned runs on four hits. Logan Mahon finished the game and picked up the save after throwing 1.2 innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out two batters.

Senior Brett Russell led the offense with four RBI, two hits and had a bases clearing triple. Trenton Moses went 2-for-2 with his 11th home run, two RBI and two runs, improving his bid for OVC Player of the Year. Moses improved his average to .405 on the last day of the regular season. Michael Adamson went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. Kenton Parmley added two hits in four at-bats and scored once.

Kenton Parmley led off the Redhawks first inning with a single to short and scored the first run in the game on Ky Burgess' double to right center. Burgess moved to third on Adamson's ground out and would later score on a fielder's choice off the bat of Brett Russell.

Brad LaBruyere retired the first seven batters of the game before Jacob Reese reached on Parmley's error. Brian Schweigert singled on the next pitch through the left side to move Reese to second. Nick Priessman looped a ball to shallow left field that fell just out of the diving Adamson at the foul line, but Adamson was able to fire the ball back in before Reese could turn the corner for home. Cameron Berra drew a bases loaded walk on a full count for the first run of the game. Zach Borenstein lined out to center field, but Schweigart was able to cross the plate for the second run.

Southeast took the lead once again with a run in the third inning.

Burgess led off with a five pitch walk and advanced to second on Adamson's ground out. Trenton Moses drove in his 50th run of the season on a single up the middle.

Moses struck again in the fifth inning when he blasted his 11th home run of the season on an opposite field solo shot to right center.

LaBruyere gave up a leadoff double in the seventh inning to David Ciaglia and a single to Cam Strang to end his day. Shae Simmons entered the game and got the first out on a safety squeeze. Schweigart hit a hard comebacker to Simmons, who instead of throwing to first for the out, ran down Strang in between second and third for the second out. He ended the inning by picking off Schweigart at first, sparking the Redhawks offense in the bottom half of the frame.

Southeast plated four runs in the seventh, extending the lead to 8-3. Tim Rupp led off with a double down the left field line and scored on Ky Burgess' double to left center. Adamson singled through the left side to move Burgess to third and Moses loaded the bases with a four pitch walk. Brett Russell stepped up and on the first pitch roped a triple to dead center field, picking up three RBI.

Eastern Illinois answered back with four runs in the top of the eighth inning, cutting Southeast's lead to 8-7. Zach Borenstein hit a three run homer to right field to cut the deficit to two runs. T.J. McManus singled down the right field line and advanced on the error by Haseltine. Pinch hitter Shawn Ferguson laced an RBI double to right center on the first pitch from Logan Mahon.

Berra drew a two out walk, representing the tying run and sent the Panthers season into the hands of Borenstein. He stroked a missile to left center, but Parmley snagged it out of the air to give the Redhawks the victory.

Southeast earned the bye and will now play at 3 pm on Thursday in Jackson, Tenn. Austin Peay hosts the number one seed, Southeast at the two seed, Jacksonville State with the three, Tennessee Tech took fourth, Eastern Kentucky has the five seed and UT Martin entered the field as the sixth seed.