INDIANS POST WIN NO. 30

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team completed a three-game road sweep of Austin Peay and also recorded its 30th victory of the season with a 4-3 triumph Sunday afternoon.

The Indians improved to 30-14 overall and 11-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play as they officially qualified for the six-team OVC Tournament and also kept their hopes of winning the regular-season title alive. Second-place Southeast trails Eastern Illinois (14-0) by 3 1/2 games.

Austin Peay, the preseason OVC favorite, fell to 23-25 overall and 5-10 in the league.

Southeast, which had swept Saturday's doubleheader, received stellar relief pitching and another three-run home run from Tristen McDonald to prevail Sunday.

Starter Tommy Thomas was taken out in the third inning after allowing seven hits and all three runs. He struck out five and walked three.

Greg Lunski and Jeffrey Hilz proceeded to blank the Governors on four hits the rest of the way.

Lunski (3-2), the winner, allowed three hits in 4 1/3 innings, with five strikeouts and one walk. Hilz, Southeast's relief ace who earned his second save of the year, gave up one hit in two innings. He fanned one and walked one.

McDonald, who had homered, drilled a three-run shot in the fourth inning Sunday, part of a four-run rally that wiped out a 3-0 Austin Peay lead and wound up ending the day's scoring. It was McDonald's fifth homer of the season, which ties him for the team lead.

McDonald and Clemente Bonilla each had two of the Indians' nine hits off Dustin Smith (1-5), who was impressive in going the nine-inning distance. Smith fanned nine and walked three.

In Southeast's big fourth inning, Bonilla, Zach Borowiak and Jeff Bourbon all singled with one out to load the bases. Bonilla scored on a passed ball. Then, with two outs, McDonald drilled his clutch homer to left field.

Rusty Moore, Chris Poynter, D.W. Blakeman and Derrick Dunbar all had two of the Govs' 11 hits.