CHARLESTON, Ill. – Southeast Missouri Baseball (10-13, 1-0 OVC) picked up a game one win of the conference-opening series with Eastern Illinois (5-14, 0-1 OVC) by a final score of 20-13. 
 
Seven different Redhawks had two or more hits in the contest, led by Ty Stauss who finished 4-for-6 at the plate with two doubles, four RBIs, and his first career triple as SEMO recorded 18 RBIs in the 20-run day. 
 
Center fielder Michael Mugan hit his seventh home run of the season in the third inning as the Redhawks' only home run of the afternoon. 

RHP Brian Strange got the start for the Redhawks in the series opener. Strange pitched 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. He recorded two strikeouts in the outing. 
 
LHP Alex Hayes (2-1) picked up his second win of the season out of the bullpen. The lefty pitched 1.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. 
 
The Redhawks wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the conference opener with a three-run first inning. 

Second baseman Brooks Kettering led off the game with a double to the left-center field gap and would advance to third on a passed ball. 
 
Two batters later, Michael Mugan singled to bring in Kettering to give SEMO a 1-0 lead with one out. 
 
An RBI double by Ty Stauss would score Mugan from first base to extend the lead to two. A defensive miscue from EIU off the bat of Shea McGahan allowed him to reach base, scoring Stauss, but Mugan was tagged out at second. SEMO led 3-0 after the first inning. 
 
SEMO would bat around in the second inning starting with one out in the frame. Caleb Corbin got the inning going with a single off EIU RHP Colton Coca. 
 
Keoni Coloma reached base via a fielder's choice, Corbin was out at second base, but the Redhawks scored all their runs with two outs. 
 
Another double by Kettering, this time with a runner on base, scored Coloma from second after he swiped the second base bag. Ben Palmer was hit by a pitch, and a double steal by him and Kettering put runners on second & third with two outs. 
 
Mugan hit his seventh home run of the season, a three-run shot, after Palmer's at-bat to give the Redhawks a 7-0 lead after the second inning. 
 
The Panthers would get on the board in the fourth inning as a two-run home run cut the SEMO lead to five. 
 
A Josh Cameron single in the fifth inning got a five-run inning going for the Redhawks. With Bryce Cannon and Shea McGahan on, Cameron singled to load the bases. 
 
Third baseman Caleb Corbin drew a bases-loaded walk to record the eighth run of the game for SEMO. An RBI groundout to first base by Keoni Coloma pushed another run across for SEMO's ninth and the Redhawks were not done. 
 
Short stop Ben Palmer recorded a sacrifice fly to left field to score Josh Cameron for SEMO's 10^th run of the contest. A two RBI double by Ty Stauss plated runs 11 & 12 as the Redhawks recorded five runs on three hits in the fifth and led 12-2. 
 
Both teams scored three runs in the sixth, SEMO three more in the seventh, EIU had a five-run eighth, and the afternoon was capped off with two SEMO runs in the ninth to win the game, 20-13. 
 
Game two of the series will take place tomorrow, Saturday, March 23, at 2 p.m. from Coaches Stadium in Charleston, Ill.