CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri (6-3) defeated Purdue-Fort Wayne (4-4) 12-4 Thursday at Capaha Field in game one of the three game series. 
 
Walks pushed Southeast ahead of the Mastadons as the Redhawks reach base on balls a total of 12 times. Connor Basler led the team with three base on balls. SEMO only struck out five times on the day. 
 
SEMO was walked at least once in every inning of play, except the sixth inning. The Redhawks scored in five of the eight innings at bat. 

Freshman Turner Fritts went 2-for-3 on the day with three RBI and one run. He finished with two base hits and a walk. 
 
The Redhawks came out of the gate and scored three runs in the bottom of the first with eight of the nine batters getting an at bat. 
 
In the third inning, Southeast posted four runs that started off with a lead-off walk for Wade Stauss. Peyton Faulkner would hit a bases-clearing double down the left foul line to extend the lead 7-0 SEMO. 
 
The Mastadons scored their first run on three-consecutive base hits to the outfield to make it 8-1 SEMO. 
 
The Redhawks scored two more in bottom of the sixth after a leadoff triple by Tyler Wilber to push ahead 10-1. Wilber would extend the lead when he scored on an error by the IPFW first baseman on a throw. 
 
Austin Blazevic hit the ball to the first baseman, who threw the ball towards home to make the out, but overshot the catcher, allowing Wilber to score and Blazevic to reach base safely. He would eventually score on a base hit to center field by Fritts. 
 
Purdue-Fort Wayne would score again in the top of the seventh on back-to-back doubles to the left field, this time the Redhawks led 10-3.
 
Southeast would push two more runs through in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to 12-4. 
 
Dylan Dodd got the win on the day after allowing just two hits and no runs in five innings of work on the mound. 
 
The Redhawks will return to Capaha Field at 10 a.m., CT for a double-header to finish the series against the Mastadons.