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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri solidified a series win over Tennessee Tech (36-15, 16-10 OVC) Saturday with a 9-8, 12-inning victory over the Golden Eagles. The 12-inning affair began with a two hour weather delay.
 
The Redhawks improve to 33-16 overall and 23-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play. If the Redhawks sweep Tech Sunday, they will tie a record for conference wins in a season with 24, set by TTU last season.
 
"When we came in to this series, it was about winning the series, not just winning the conference title. It was important to us to win this series and our guys took that to heart; that was apparent when we never gave up," said head coach Steve Bieser. "Today was a tough win as they struck early but our guys never gave up and continued to battle the whole game."
 
Mere minutes after first pitch was thrown, the game was sent in to a two hour weather delay. Southeast had runners on the corners with one out in the top of the first. Derek Gibson, who had a 0-2 count at the start of the delay, resumed the game with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Jason Blum and giving Southeast a 1-0 lead.
 
A single, a walk, and an error plated the first Tennessee Tech run in the bottom of the inning. Brandon Thomasson then homered to dead center field for a three-run blast, putting the Golden Eagles up 4-1 after the first inning.
 
With one out in the fifth inning, Gibson tripled down the right field line. He immediately scored on a base hit by Andy Lennington. With two out, Tennessee Tech pulled starting pitcher Evan Fraliex. The new pitcher, Stanton Taylor, walked the first three Redhawk batters he faced, the last one a bases loaded walk by Andy Lack to bring the score to 4-3. Blum then gave Southeast the lead with a two-out, two-RBI base hit, 5-4 Redhawks.
 
Tech quickly regained the lead with a two-run home run to left by Daniel Miles in the bottom of the inning, 6-5 TTU.
 
Another two-run home run, this time by Jake Rowland, extended the Golden Eagle lead to 8-5 in the sixth inning.
 
Southeast's never quite attitude continued to show as Southeast tied the game in the eighth inning. Gibson started the scoring with a two-run bomb to right. TTU then went to the bullpen for All-OVC closer Seth Lucio. Lucio gave up a base hit to Lennington then threw two wild pitches to put Lennington on third. Dalton Hewitt then flew out to left, scoring Lennington, and tying the game at 8-8.
 
Neither team could break the tie and the game was sent in to extra innings.
 
The game remained tied through the 11^th inning. Cole Bieser hit a one-out triple in the top of the 12^th. TTU then intentionally put Matt Tellor on base for runners on the corners with one out. Gibson, who was only a double shy of hitting for the cycle, flew out to center field, scoring Bieser, and breaking the tie 9-8.
 
An error by Gibson in left in the bottom of the inning put a Tech runner on third to begin the bottom of the inning. With one out, Southeast intentionally put Thomasson on base. A 1-6-3 double play ended the game and secured the series win for Southeast.
 
Once again, Southeast out powered the powerful offense of Tech as they outhit the Golden Eagles 17-9.
 
Nearly every hitter in the Southeast lineup contributed Saturday. Gibson finished 3-for-4 with four RBI, Lennington had four hits on the night, Blum tallied three of his own with two runs knocked in, and Cole Ferguson and Tellor also had two hits apiece.
 
Redhawk starter Alex Winkelman worked six complete innings but go a no-decision in the game. Winkelman allowed eight runs, six earned, walked one and struck out five. Sunday's scheduled starter Travis Hayes pitched four innings in relief Saturday. Hayes picked up his eighth win of the season after allowing only one hit in four innings out of the pen.
 
Bieser noted, "We came to the situation in a tie game that we could win the ball game with our best arm ready to go at a moment's notice so we decided to pull the trigger and put Travis in. It was the right situation for him tonight and he came in and capitalized."
 
For the Golden Eagles, Rowland finished 3-for-5 with two RBI. Zach Zarzour was the only other TTU hitter with a multi-hit game with two.
 
Lucio (2-2) recorded the loss in the game. Tech once again used six total pitchers in the game.
 
The Redhawks will go for the sweep Sunday at 1 p.m. Christian Hull will get the start on the mound for Southeast since Hayes pitched Saturday. The game can be viewed for free on the OVC Digital Network.