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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Southeast Missouri baseball team defeated Belmont University (27-27, 15-14 OVC) Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale, 13-7. Southeast finishes the regular season 33-21 overall and 22-8 in Ohio Valley Conference play.

The Redhawks, who clinched their second-straight and third overall OVC title this weekend, will carry the No. 1 seed into the OVC Tournament next week. Southeast is the first team to win back-to-back titles since Austin Peay did it in 2003 and 2004. Southeast will begin tournament play Thursday at 7 p.m. They will face the lower seed of the winners of games one and two. The Redhawks will be making their 21^st-straight tournament appearance, a league record.

The tournament is held at the Ballpark at Jackson in Jackson, Tennessee, home of the Jackson Generals. The entire tournament can be watched for free on the OVC Digital Network.

The Southeast Missouri Department of Athletics will host free tailgates before each Redhawks game, beginning two hours prior to first pitch in front of the Ballpark. The Southeast Missouri Student Activities Council is sponsoring free student tickets. Student tickets can be claimed at the box office with a Southeast student I.D.

Southeast closes conference play with nine OVC series wins; the only series loss coming to Tennessee Tech.

The Redhawks put up three runs in each of the first four innings of Saturday's game.

Trevor Ezell started the game with a triple to right center. Ezell scored and Jason Blum reached on an error by the third baseman to go up 1-0 on Belmont. Garrett Gandolfo hit Southeast's first home run of the game to put the Redhawks on top 3-0 in the opening frame.

With Ezell and Blum on base and one out in the top of the second inning, Gandolfo ripped a double down the right field line to plate Ezell. Andy Lennington grounded out to third but Blum scored to make it 5-0. Dalton Hewitt drilled a base hit to right center to bring Gandolfo home and widen the lead to 6-0.

A two-run home run by William Dodd in the bottom half of the second cut into the Redhawk lead, 6-2.

The top of the third started with a base hit up the middle by Scott Mitchell. Mitchell touched home on a two-run home run by Ryan Rippee. The Redhawks proceeded to load the bases with one out in the inning. An RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Lennington made it 9-2 Southeast Missouri.

Belmont was able to match Southeast's three runs in the bottom of the inning when Matt Beaty blasted a three-run home run to right; 9-5 Redhawks after three innings.

Branden Boggetto hit a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning. After a base hit by Mitchell, Rippee stepped in and hit a line drive home run to left, his second homer of the day, extending the lead to 12-5.

An RBI groundout by Blum tacked on another run in the eighth inning to make it 13-5.

Tyler Walsh hit a two-run home run to left in the bottom of the eighth to bring the final tally to 13-7.

The Redhawks put up 16 hits to Belmont's 11. Belmont committed two errors in the contest.

Hewitt had three hits in the game while six other Redhawks had two hits apiece. Rippee had four RBI while Gandolfo had three of his own.

Travis Hayes started the game for Southeast but only went three and a third innings. Hayes allowed five runs on six hits. Ryan Lenaburg (4-3) picked up the win in relief. Lenaburg pitched four and two-thirds, allowing two runs on just two hits. Lenaburg retired the first 11 batters he faced.

Dodd had a three-hit performance Saturday while four other Bruin hitters had two hits each.

Aaron Quillen (5-5) suffered the loss. Quillen lasted only one inning before exiting the game. In all, Belmont used seven pitchers Saturday. Josh Tubbs was the only one to pitch more than one inning, going three complete.

Southeast Missouri begins OVC Tournament play at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21 in Jackson, Tennessee.