CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri baseball picked up its fourth Ohio Valley Conference sweep with a 20-11 victory over SIUE (4-20, 2-10 OVC) Sunday.
 
With the win, the Redhawks remain perfect in OVC action at 12-0, they extend their winning streak to 10 games, and are the first team in the league to reach 20 overall wins at 20-8.
 
Southeast's 10-game winning streak is the longest the program has seen since 2003's 14-game streak. That streak is the program record for consecutive wins and ran for an entire month (Mar. 12-Apr. 12). This season's streak is now the second-longest in Southeast's Division I history.  
 
The offense tallied 20 hits in the game, led by Chris Caffrey's five hits. Caffrey scored three runs and drove in two. Daniel Costello contributed five RBI with three hits and fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle.
 
"Coming to the ballpark today, anyone could tell it was going to be an offensive day and lots of runs were going to be put on the board with the wind blowing out. We were very happy with our club and how they were able to put big innings together today," Steve Bieser said. "Any time a team scores six runs in an innings, you expect to win. It got a little close later when we gave them five runs back but I had a lot of confidence the offense was going to continue to score.
 
"Chris moved to first base today and typically when a guy moves to a position he's not fully comfortable with, it hurts him on the offensive side but he did a great job with the move. We've got good pop all up and down our lineup from one to nine and that's what makes our lineup dangerous."
 
Redhawk starter Robert Beltran exited Sunday's game in the third inning after allowing five runs to the Cougars in the inning. Adam Pennington (2-0) earned the win after coming in for Beltran and pitching four hitless innings, allowing just one base runner on a hit batsman.
 
Brendan Miller (2-2) suffered the loss for SIUE. Miller, who started the game, recorded only one out before exiting the game. He allowed five runs on four hits in his third of an inning.
 
For the third time in the series, Southeast took a first-inning lead on SIUE. Branden Boggetto drove in a pair of runs with a one-out single to right. The right fielder misplayed the ball and Boggetto took third on the error. Caffrey singled in Boggetto then scored all the way from first on a double down the third base line by Costello. The sudden 4-0 lead was enough to knock Miller out of the game. Kylar Robertson drew a walk then a pair of stolen bases moved both Redhawk runners into scoring position. Brian Lees found a hole up the middle of the infield to plate both runners and go up 6-0 on SIUE in the first inning.
 
SIUE uncorked five runs in the top of the third inning to knock Beltran out of the game and cut the Southeast lead to one, 6-5. Pennington entered the game and retired the three batters he faced to preserve the Redhawk lead.
 
Robertson blasted a mammoth two-run home run to dead center in the bottom of the third to go back up by three, 8-5.
 
The Redhawks put up a seven spot in the fourth to take a 10-run lead. The inning started with a solo home run to right center by Trevor Ezell, who celebrated his birthday Sunday. After back-to-back walks, Caffrey used a one-out base hit to plate Dan Holst. Costello picked up an RBI with a single to right. After an SIUE pitching change, Robertson was intentionally put on to load the bases. A walk to Lees scored Caffrey and Andy Lack drove in Costello with a single through the left side. Ezell picked up his second RBI of the inning when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Still with only one out, Holst lined out to deep left, allowing Lees to tag up and score, putting Southeast up 15-5.
 
SIUE plated its first run since the third in the seventh inning on an RBI base hit by Keaton Wright, 15-6 Southeast.
 
The Redhawks picked up five more runs in the bottom of the inning. A three-run home run by Costello made it a 12-run game, 18-6. Robertson drew a walk then scored from first on a double drilled down the third base line by Lees. Garret Reynolds, who entered to pinch run for Lees, scored on a double off the bat of Lack, scoring the 20^th run of the game, 20-6.
 
Dustin Woodcock homered to right center to start a four-run eighth inning for the Cougars to bring the Redhawk lead back to 10, 20-10.
 
SIUE scored one more run in the ninth inning off Justin Murphy on a double play hit into by Austin Verschoore to bring the final score to 20-11.
 
Lees finished the game with four RBI on a pair of hits. Garrett Gandolfo finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Robertson drew four walks in the contest, picked up two RBI, and scored four times.
 
Every Redhawk in the starting lineup recorded a hit while seven drove in runs.
 
SIUE finished with 12 hits in the game led by Wright with three. Four Cougar hitters had two RBI each Sunday.
 
The Redhawks return to action Tuesday when they host Arkansas State in the first game of the annual home-and-home series. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. from Capaha Field.