JACKSON, Tenn. – It was a full day for the Southeast Missouri baseball team at day four of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Southeast fell to No. 2 Jacksonville State (33-26) in game eight, 11-7, to fall into the losers bracket. The Redhawks rebounded with a 10-4 win over No. 3 Austin Peay (30-23) in the nightcap.
 
With the win, Southeast eliminated Austin Peay from the postseason. The win was also Southeast's 37^th of the season, tying the program record for wins. Southeast is 37-19 in 2016.
 
Southeast advances to the championship round Sunday at noon. The Redhawks will get another crack at Jacksonville State; however, Southeast needs two wins to clinch the tournament crown. It will be Southeast's second consecutive championship round appearance. The Redhawks fell in the first game to Morehead State a season ago.
 
Game Eight – Jacksonville State 11, Southeast Missouri 7
Southeast fell in game eight of the tournament to Jacksonville State, 11-7. The Gamecocks used the long ball to recapture a late-game lead and force the Redhawks into the losers bracket.
 
Southeast fell in the contest despite outhitting Jacksonville State 13-10. Each team committed two errors. The Redhawks were led in hitting by a three-hit, two-RBI game by Scott Mitchell.
 
Redhawk starter Robert Beltran worked just one and a third innings in his start. He allowed five runs on only three hits. Two of the five runs were unearned.
 
Clay Chandler (4-5) suffered the loss. Chandler worked five and a third innings in his first relief stint. He gave up three runs on four hits. He struck out four but walked three.
 
Graham Officer pitched four complete innings in his start before being pulled in the fifth inning. Officer allowed five Redhawk runs on seven hits. He struck out four and walked three.  
 
Garrett Farmer (4-4) earned the victory for JSU. Farmer pitched four complete innings out of the pen. He fanned four Redhawks while allowing two runs on five hits. Justin Hoyt closed the game for the Gamecocks but entered in a non-save situation.
 
The game started on a mishandled ball at third base by Andy Lack, allowing the leadoff hitter, Gavin Golsan, to reach. Golsan stole second and moved up to third on a groundout. He scored on a passed ball to put the Gamecocks on the board. Tyler Gamble, who drew a walk on the passed ball, stole second and scored on an RBI double that split the left-center gap by Elliot McCummings. McCummings, who advanced to third on a fly out, scored on a single laced up the middle by Josh Bobo, putting Jacksonville State on top early, 3-0.
 
Trevor Ezell and Chris Osborne each singled through the right side the begin the Redhawks' half of the first. They each moved into scoring position on a fly out by Branden Boggetto. Ezell tagged up and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Garrett Gandolfo, cutting the Gamecocks' early lead to 3-1 after one inning.
 
Beltran issued back-to-back walks in the top of the second with one out. Clayton Daniel ripped a double off the top of the wall in left field to get the run back and put JSU back on top by three, 4-1. Beltran exited the game with one out in the second inning, giving way to Chandler in his first relief appearance. A routine 4-6-3 double play ball turned into a 4-6 fielder's choice hit into by McCummings, scoring another Gamecock run, putting JSU ahead 5-1 in the second.
 
The Redhawk bats came alive in the bottom of the third to cut the JSU lead to one. With Ezell and Osborne on first and second, respectively, with two out, Dan Holst singled to left center, driving in Ezell. Hunter Leeper and Mitchell followed with back-to-back singles to right field, plating two more runs and slicing the Gamecock lead to one, 5-4.
 
Southeast strung together a trio of runs in the fifth inning to take its first, and would-be only, lead. Gandolfo led off the frame with a walk, knocking Officer out of the game for Farmer. Back-to-back Gamecock errors loaded the bases with no out for the Redhawks. Mitchell tied the game with a base hit to left center, scoring Gandolfo. Lack worked a 10-pitch at-bat to draw a bases-loaded walk to give Southeast a 6-5 lead. Brian Lees widened the Redhawks' newfound lead to 7-5 with a sacrifice fly to left, plating Leeper.
 
A three-run home run on the first pitch of the at bat by Taylor Hawthorne put the Gamecocks back on top in the seventh inning, 8-7.
 
The Gamecocks built on their lead in the top of the eighth. Daniel singled to left field, plating Hayden White. Gamble followed with a two-run home run off the top of the wall in left center, inflating the lead to 11-7 on Southeast.
 
Southeast loaded the bases in the ninth inning and brought the tying run to the plate but a 4-6-3 double play ended the game, forcing Southeast into the losers bracket.
 
Osborne, Holst, Leeper, and Lack all added two hit in the game behind Mitchell's offensive output.
 
Daniel led the way for JSU with three hits and two RBI. Gamble and McCummings also plated a pair of runs each and had two hits in the game.
 
Game Nine – Southeast Missouri 10, Austin Peay 4
Adam Pennington pitched four and two-thirds innings in his start on the mound, his second start of the season. He allowed four runs to the Govs on eight hits.
 
Jake Busiek (2-2) earned the victory, pitching four and a third innings in relief. Busiek allowed just two hits in his four-plus innings of scoreless baseball. He struck out six and walked none. His six strikeouts tied a season-high set at Eastern Kentucky on Mar. 12.
 
The appearance was Busiek's second of the day. He appeared in game eight and pitched one and two-thirds scoreless innings to close the game. He struck out four and walked two. In all, Busiek worked seven innings of scoreless baseball Saturday and struck out 10 total batters.
 
Josh Rye pitched five and a third innings for APSU in his start. Alex Robles (10-6) relieved Rye and pitched one and two-thirds on the mound. He allowed the go-ahead runs in the eighth to pick up the loss.
 
Southeast matched its hits total from the first game, outhitting the Govs 13-10. Gandolfo powered the offense going 4-for-5 with four runs scored. He fell a home run shy of the cycle. Leeper finished with three hits and four RBI in the game.
 
The Govs touched home first in the game in the opening inning. Garrett Copeland doubled to left center to lead off the inning. He scored on a single up the middle off the bat of Chase Hamilton, putting the Govs on the board, 1-0.
 
Southeast tied the game and found a lead in the top of the second inning. Gandolfo singled to center to start the inning. Holst doubled off the wall in left center, scoring Gandolfo all the way from first base to tie the game. Leeper bunted for a hit to put runners on the corners. Rippee lined out to centerfield, deep enough for Holst to tag up, score, and put Southeast up 2-1. A two-out base hit by Ezell scored Leeper and widened the lead to 3-1.
 
With bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the fifth, Hamilton ripped a bases-clearing triple to the wall in right center, putting Austin Peay back on top, 4-3.
 
Gandolfo tripled off the top of the wall in right center field to begin the fifth inning. He trotted home on a groundout to short by Holst to retie the game at four runs apiece.
 
Osborne ripped a triple to left center to kick off the top of the eighth inning. Boggetto broke the 4-4 tie when he plated Osborne with a single to right-center. Following a double by Gandolfo and an intentional walk to Holst to load the bases, Leeper hit a bases-clearing double down the left field line to break the game open for Southeast, 8-4 Redhawks.
 
Southeast plated a pair of extra insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning on a sac fly by Boggetto and an RBI double by Leeper, extending the lead to 10-4.
 
Osborne and Holst each scattered a pair of hits in the contest. Hoslt and Boggetto each plated a pair of runs.
 
Copeland picked up three hits for the Govs while Hamilton had two hits and drove in all four runs.