Southeast Missouri State baseball team completes sweep of Belmont

~ The Redhawks won 7-0 to improve to 3-0 in OVC play

Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau was unplayable due to winter weather, so the Redhawks made themselves at home at Rose Park in Nashville, Tenn., over the weekend.

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team posted a 7-0 victory over Belmont on Sunday to sweep the first Ohio Valley Conference series of the season.

Southeast was supposed to host the series but couldn't due to the recent winter storm. The Redhawks, who were the home team on the scoreboard throughout the three-game series, improved to 9-6 overall and 3-0 in the OVC. Belmont fell to 6-9 and 0-3.

Southeast's offense quickly secured a four-run cushion in the first inning, which was all the offense pitchers Travis Hayes and Alex Winkelman would need.

The pair combined for a three-hit shutout.

Jason Blum hit a leadoff triple in the first and scored on a high chopper off the bat of Cole Bieser that resulted in a Belmont throwing error.

Bieser, who went to second on the play, advanced to third when Belmont committed its second error on a ball hit by Andy Lennington and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cole Ferguson.

Lennington later scored on an infield single by Derek Gibson, who would finish the day with three hits and four RBIs. Gibson advanced to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a single by Dalton Hewitt for a 4-0 lead.

Gibson added a single that scored Ferguson, who had reached on an error, in the fifth inning and drove home Scott Mitchell and Matt Tellor -- both singled and moved up on a wild pitch -- in the seventh with a double.

Gibson had seven hits in the series with six RBIs.

Shorstop Andy Lack added two hits Sunday for the Redhawks, who had 11 hits overall.

Hayes (2-0) made his first start at Southeast and pitched six innings to pick up the win. He allowed just two hits and walked four batters while striking out five. Winkelman pitched the final three innings for the save, allowing one hit and no walks, while striking out four.

The Redhawks are scheduled to host Missouri State at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Capaha Field.