To simply say Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team had some fun Saturday afternoon would be a big understatement.

The Indians had a real blast -- courtesy of a blasting they gave Murray State in a doubleheader to open the Ohio Valley Conference season.

Southeast romped to 9-5 and 19-0 victories in front of about 250 fans at Capaha Field. The Indians, who have now won five straight games, improved to 7-6 overall while Murray fell to 2-13.

The squads are scheduled to play a 1 p.m. contest today to close out the three-game series.

"It was a great day for us," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan. "We hit the ball, we got good pitching and we didn't have an error.

"You always want to get off to a good start in conference play, especially when the first series is at home."

Saturday's sweep certainly classifies as a good start. The Indians had their way with the struggling Thoroughbreds all day, building up an early 9-1 lead before cruising in the opener and then totally dominating the second game.

After getting nine hits in the opener, the Indians banged out 18 hits in the nightcap. They finished the day with seven home runs, including four in the second game.

"It's fun when everybody up and down the lineup is hitting well," said Southeast shortstop Steve Lowe. "We started off the season kind of slow, but our pitching has come around and now our bats are really coming around."

Lowe, a junior-college transfer, had one of the big blows of the first game, a grand slam that highlighted a seven-run third inning that gave the Indians a 9-1 lead.

It was Lowe's first home run of his Southeast career. He finished the day with four hits in seven at-bats and drove in five runs.

"It was exciting," said Lowe of his first Southeast homer. "I'd come close a couple of other times so it was nice to finally get it."

Kyle Yount went 5-for-8 and had three RBIs on the day while Charlie Marino added three hits.

Joining Lowe in hitting balls out of the park were Marino (his fifth), Robert Kern (fourth), Darin Kinsolving (third), Jeremy Johnson (third), Marty Lane (first) and Jeff Bourbon (first).

For Lane, a juco transfer, and Bourbon, a freshman from Potosi, the homers were the first of their Southeast careers.

And a few other Southeast players had notable firsts in a second game that was so lopsided Hogan was able to get just about ever non-pitcher into the action.

Kenny Gaebler, a freshman walkon from Delta, got his first hit in his first Southeast at-bat.

And freshman pitcher Nathan McGuire out of Notre Dame saw his first action of the season. He hurled one scoreless inning, as did juco transfer Daniel Rodriguez in his first mound duty of the campaign.

Jason Swearingen and Ryan Spille, who have turned into quite a one-two combination at the top of the pitching staff, continued to shine.

Swearingen improved to 3-0 by pitching all seven innings of the opener. He scattered 10 hits and didn't seem all that happy about giving up a three-run homer to Brad Burns in the seventh that will cause his earned-run average, 2.19 entering the game, to go up.

"I should have won 9-2," said the Indians' lone senior in somewhat mock disgust. "I hated to allow that (homer) at the end."

Spille, a juco transfer, was simply brilliant again as he also improved to 3-0. He fanned the first seven batters he faced and wound up allowing four hits with nine strikeouts and no walks before being removed after five innings of the nightcap.

A lefthander, Spille has allowed only 18 hits in 27 innings while fanning 37 and walking five. His ERA is barely above the 1.00 level.

"He's just been super," said Hogan.

As were just about all the Indians Saturday.