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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri baseball was unable to sweep Tennessee Tech (37-15, 17-10 OVC) Sunday in the series finale as the Redhawks fell 21-10. Both teams were toe-to-toe through the seventh inning but a 10-run eighth inning by Tech blew the game wide open.
 
Southeast is now 33-17 overall and 23-7 in Ohio Valley Conference play. Sunday's game was the final league game of the season for Southeast.
 
Matt Tellor crushed a home run off the scoreboard in the first inning to put the Redhawks ahead early, 1-0. Derek Gibson also extended his hitting streak to 27 games in the opening frame.
 
Home runs by Zach Stephens and Brandon Thomasson gave Tech a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the inning. Christian Hull, the Redhawks starter, only worked a third of an inning before being pulled in the first.
 
Clayton Evans doubled off the right field wall with two out in the second inning. He scored from second when Andy Lack singled to a diving second baseman; 3-2 Tech.
 
A bases loaded hit batsman extended the Tech lead to 4-2 in the third inning.
 
Singles by Cole Ferguson and Evans began the fourth inning for Southeast. Lack bunted both runners over followed by a walk to Jason Blum to load the bases. Cole Bieser grounded into a fielder's choice that forced Blum out at second but Ferguson scored on the play. A base hit by Tellor drove in the tying run. TTU pulled starting pitcher Chris Chism and brought Ross Spurgeon in to face Gibson. Gibson then singled to shallow center field to score Bieser and retake the lead, 5-4.
 
Just as quick as Southeast put up three runs, Tech was quick to put up three of their own in the bottom of the inning. Back-to-back doubles retied the game 5-5. Daniel Miles flied out to right to score the go-ahead run. A single up the middle by Dylan Bosheers made it 7-5 TTU after four innings.
 
Tech tacked on a run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 8-5 going to the sixth.
 
With bases loaded in the top of the sixth, Tellor reached on a fielder's choice that scored Lack. A throwing error on the play allowed Blum to score and Tellor to take second. Gibson then tripled to score Tellor and tie the game. Andy Lennington then flew out to score Gibson and give Southeast a 9-8 lead.
 
Thomasson then homered to retie the game at nine in the bottom of the inning.
 
Ferguson hit a leadoff jack in the seventh to recapture the lead, 10-9.
 
A very hot Thomasson then hit a two-run single to put Tech up 11-10 in the bottom of the inning.
 
A ten-run eighth inning by Tech blew the game wide open as the Golden Eagles went up 21-10. 16 batters walked up to the plate in the inning for the Golden Eagles.
 
The Redhawks would go down quietly in the top of the ninth, as Tech would win the series finale 21-10 and avoid the Redhawk sweep.
 
Tech outhit the Redhawks 20-14. In all, six home runs were blasted in the game.
 
Gibson finished the game 4-for-5 with two RBI. Tellor finished with two hits and three RBI. Evans had three hits in the game and scored two runs while Ferguson and Lack recorded two hits apiece.
 
For the Golden Eagles, Thomasson finished with five hits, five RBI, and two home runs. Hunter Hudson finished with three hits and two RBI including a home run. Three other Tech hitters had two hits each.
 
On the mound, Perry Middleton (1-1) suffered the loss. In all, seven Redhawk pitchers were used in the contest.
 
John Gora (2-1) recorded the win for Tech. Tech also used a number of pitchers as they used four out of the bullpen.
 
Southeast Missouri will take on nationally ranked Vanderbilt at 6:30 p.m. from Nashville Tuesday. The regular season will wrap up next weekend at IPFW with a three-game series with the Mastodons.