Southeast Missouri State baseball team avoids weekend sweep by Austin Peay

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team broke loose for five extra-base hits as it bounced back from its first two Ohio Valley Conference losses of the season with a 7-3 victory over Austin Peay on Sunday in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Right fielder Chris Osborne and center fielder Dan Holst blasted solo home runs, and junior left-hander Robert Beltran held the Governors scoreless over the first six innings as he improved to 3-0 in OVC play.

The Redhawks entered the weekend a perfect 12-0 in conference action but had an 11-gane winning streak snapped in a 6-1 loss Friday, then dropped an 8-6 decision Saturday.

Southeast (22-10, 13-2) built a 4-0 lead for Beltran, scoring three runs in the top of the second and adding a solo home run by Osborne in the fifth. Osborne went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

The Redhawks opened the second with consecutive hits by first baseman Ryan Rippee, Osborne and third baseman Hunter Leeper to load the bases. Brian Lees brought home the first run with a walk before left fielder Daniel Costello unloaded a two-run double to left field for a 3-0 lead. Holst was hit by a pitch to reload the bases with one out, but Governors starter Caleb Powell (3-2) wiggled out of the jam with no further damage, first striking out shortstop Branden Boggetto, the No. 3 hitter, on a called third strike before retiring designated hitter Garrett Gandolfo on a groundout.

Austin Peay (18-12, 10-5) had just four hits off Beltran over the first six innings, but chased the left-hander with no outs in the seventh after Logan Gray opened the frame with a double and Clayton Smitherson followed with a home run.

Left-hander Jake Busiek relieved Beltran and retired the next three batters.

Busiek allowed two hits in the eighth inning before being replaced with two outs by closer Justin Murphy, who obtained the final four outs for his fourth save of the season.

Southeast tacked on a run in the eighth inning on a run-scoring single by Leeper, then added two more insurance runs in the ninth on Holst's blast and Osborne's fourth hit, an RBI double.

Beltran (4-1) gave up six hits, struck out six and walked four.

Busiek struck out three batters and did not issue a walk in 1 2/3 innings, while Murphy gave up three hits, struck out one and did not walk a batter in 1 1/3 innings.

Rippee, second baseman Trevor Ezell and Leeper each added two hits for Southeast, which had 14 hits against three Austin Peay pitchers.

Powell surrendered eight hits and four runs -- all earned -- over the first five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

Reliever Zach Neff was touched for two runs over 3 2/3 innings, while John Sparks surrendered a run in 1/3 of an inning.

Patrick Masson and Alex Robles both had three hits for the Governors, who finished with 11 hits overall.

The Redhawks topped the OVC standings before the series but fell to second place behind Jacksonville State (21-10, 11-1). The Gamecocks sustained their first conference loss Sunday, falling 6-5 to Murray State.

Southeast returns to action Tuesday, when it travels to Jonesboro, Arkansas, to face Arkansas State in a 6 p.m. non-conference game. The Redhawks hosted the Red Wolves last week and won 4-2.