Southeast Missouri State baseball team wins weekend series vs. JSU

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team had a loud response to a four-run loss encountered to Jacksonville State in a critical Ohio Valley Conference series.

After mustering just two runs in the opener, Southeast claimed the road series with 24 runs over the next games.

A convincing 11-2 pounding of the Gamecocks on Sunday strengthened the Redhawks' standing atop the OVC standings, a place they were in danger of losing before a 13-6 victory Saturday.

Senior left fielder Garrett Gandolfo continued his hot hitting with three hits and five RBIs, while junior left-hander Robert Beltran improved to 6-1 on the mound by allowing seven hits over eight innings.

Southeast improved to 29-11 overall and 18-3 in the OVC.

Jacksonville State, which lost its first OVC series, fell to 26-13 and 14-4.

"You can look at Jacksonville State and see they've played a lot of really good teams," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said in a press release. "When you're in conference play, you're putting your best product out there. After dropping game one and coming back to win the series in games two and three says a lot about our team's character, how we compete, and our confidence. What we're trying to do is breed champions and give our players a feel for championships each year."

Southeast, the two-time defending regular season conference champions, never trailed in the game, with Gandolfo staking Beltran to a 2-0 lead with his sixth home run of the season in the first inning.

The hit, a two-out blast to right field that scored Dan Holst, extended his hitting streak to 20 games.

"I don't think Garrett has been anymore locked in than he has been lately," Bieser said. "He's been really consistent and he has been taking really professional at-bats. With his skill and ability to take professional at-bats, he is going to have a lot of success; he had some outstanding at bats today."

Jacksonville State answered with four of its hits off Beltran in the bottom of the inning, including an RBI double by Taylor Hawthorne, in tying the score.

Beltran would not yield another hit until the sixth inning as he held the Gamecocks scoreless over the next seven innings.

"Robert was really on after that first inning," Bieser said. "He came out a little passive with his changeup and he couldn't keep them off his fastball, then all of a sudden he started to settle in and roll from that point and began to let things go. He did an outstanding job for us today."

Beltran, who is 4-0 in OVC play, finished with seven strikeouts and walked two.

Southeast took the lead for good in the top of the second with a pair of two-out runs. Chris Osborne opened the frame with a double off starter Garrett Farmer (2-3) and was still on second when No. 9 hitter Andy Lack singled him home with two outs. Lack advanced to second on the throw home and later scored when a fly ball off the bat of leadoff hitter Trevor Ezell went off the glove of the left fielder.

Beltran retired the next six batters he faced, and Southeast built on its 4-2 lead with four two-out runs in the top of the fourth.

Brian Lees started the fourth with a walk from reliever Derric Adams and was replaced on the basepaths when Lack reached on a fielder's choice with two outs.

Both Ezell and Holst, the No. 2 hitter who went 3-for-4, walked to load the bases.

Senior Branden Boggetto and Gandolfo both followed with two-run singles to chase Adams and increase the lead to 8-2.

Boggetto finished with three RBIs to increase his team-leading total to 40. Gandolfo is right behind with 39.

The Redhawks tacked on a run on a sacrifice fly by Boggetto in the sixth inning to extend their advantage to 9-2.

Osborne increased the lead to 10-2 in the seventh with his team-leading 10th home run, a solo shot, and Gandolfo capped the scoring with a two-out RBI singles in the eighth.

Justin Murphy pitched a hitless ninth to close out the win.

Southeast finished with 11 hits off five JSU pitchers.

Leadoff batter Gavin Golsan had two of the Gamecocks' seven hits.

Southeast will host Southern Illinois in a 6 p.m. non-conference contest on Tuesday.