Southeast Missouri State baseball team wins final game of regular season

~ Southeast closed its regular season Saturday with an 8-6 win over IPFW

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team concluded the regular season on a high note.

The Redhawks completed their second three-game series sweep of the IPFW Mastadons this season with an 8-6 win Saturday in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Southeast improved to 36-18 with the win.

The Mastadons (19-34) took a 2-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI groundout.

Southeast cut the deficit in half when second baseman Jason Blum scored from third on a double steal in the third, but a sacrifice fly in IPFW's half of the inning extended it back to a two-run game.

The Redhawks added a run in each of the next three innings to take a 4-3 lead -- their first of the game -- but IPFW's Malcolm White homered to tie it in the bottom of the sixth.

Southeast regained the lead on an RBI double to left from Cole Ferguson in the seventh and never relinquished it.

Nolan Fisher drove in two runs with a single in the ninth and scored on a single from Blum.

IPFW plated two runs in the bottom of the ninth on a double from Kevin Wirth but wouldn't come any closer.

Christian Hull (5-2) picked up the win in relief. He pitched two innings and gave up an earned run on three hits while striking out two.

Brady Wright pitched 1/3 of an inning and did not allow a hit to record his fifth save.

Dane Davis (1-6) took the loss for IPFW. He allowed two earned runs on four hits in two innings of work in relief. He had one walk and one strikeout.

The Redhawks, who are the No. 1 seed in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, receive a first-round bye and will open the tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday at The Ballpark in Jackson, Tennessee.

Seeding for the tournament: No. 2 Tennessee Tech, No. 3 Jacksonville St., No. 4 SIU Edwardsville, No. 5 Morehead St., No. 6 Eastern Illinois.