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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri Redhawks baseball team rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat the Missouri State (8-6) Bears, 6-5 Tuesday evening. Andy Lack proved the difference maker in the game after laying down a successful squeeze bunt then hitting his first collegiate home run to later tie the game. Southeast Missouri improves to 10-6 on the season. 

Missouri State struck early in the first inning. Tate Matheny led off the game with a single to left then scored on a triple that rattled around in the right field corner off the bat of Dylan Becker. Becker was driven in on a blooper that fell in right center field. With runners on second and third, the third Bear run scored on an RBI groundout. 

The Bears added to their lead in the second inning with an RBI double by Becker, 4-0 Bears after one and a half innings.

The Redhawks got on the board in the bottom of the inning. With runners on the corners, Lack laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Andy Lennington for Southeast's first run. The pitcher botched the putout on Lack to allow him to reach base safely. Jason Blum reached on an error by the third baseman, also allowing Scott Mitchell to score, 4-2 Bears after two innings. 

The Redhawks tied the game with two more runs in the third inning. The Redhawks' third run came on a balk by Bear starter Jake Powers. Derek Gibson, who advanced to third on the balk, scored on an RBI groundout by Lennington to tie the game at four runs each. 

The Bears retook the lead in the fourth when Matheny homered to right field to lead off the inning. 

Lack answered in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff home run of his own to retie the game. It was the sophomore's first collegiate home run. 

In the fifth, Gibson hit the would-be game-winning home run, his first of the season, to right center field, 6-5 Redhawks. 

The Redhawk bullpen did what they do best and shut batters down to close out the game and secure Southeast's victory. 

This is Southeast's first victory over the Bears since Mar. 15, 2011 when the Redhawks won 8-7 in Springfield. The Bears have taken nine of the last 13 meetings between these teams. 

Offensively, Lack was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Gibson and Lennington each finished 2-for-4 with an RBI each. 

Missouri State outhit the Redhawks 11-7 in the contest. 

Becker had three hits in five at bats with two RBI. Matt Fultz and Matheny each added two hits apiece. 

The Redhawks used seven pitchers Tuesday. Starter Garret Stockton was pulled after the first inning after giving up three runs. Skylar Cobb saw the most action with 2.1 innings pitched, giving up a run. Alex Siddle, Brady Wright, Greg Mosel, and Christian Hull combined for 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball. Siddle (1-1) earned his first victory this season after pitching 1.2 innings and only giving up a single hit. Hull earned his second save in his last two appearances after closing out the game for the Redhawks in the ninth inning. 

Powers (0-1) suffered the loss after giving up all six of Southeast's runs in 5.0 innings for the Bears. Three Missouri State relief pitchers combined for 3.0 scoreless innings afterwards. 

The Redhawks will make the long haul to Eastern Kentucky this weekend for an Ohio Valley Conference showdown with the Colonels.