~ Jacksonville State finished a three-game sweep of Southeast with two more narrow wins

The Jacksonville State baseball team leads the Ohio Valley Conference while Southeast Missouri State is in sixth place.

Not much separated the squads over the weekend at Capaha Field except for one thing -- the Gamecocks' ability to come through in the clutch.

That's been a season-long theme for JSU, which finished off a three-game series sweep Sunday by taking both ends of a doubleheader.

The Gamecocks won all three contests in the series by breaking ties in the final inning.

Southeast Missouri State’s Derek Gibson singles during the first inning of Sunday’s first game against Jacksonville State at Capaha Field. (Wayne McPherson ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian)

"They just found ways to win," sophomore catcher/right fielder Dalton Hewitt said. "They're a good team. They do everything right. They don't make mistakes."

The Gamecocks claimed Sunday's opener, scheduled for nine innings, 4-3 in 10 innings. They pushed across four seventh-inning runs to break a 1-1 deadlock and capture the seven-inning nightcap 5-2.

That came after JSU rallied from a four-run deficit to win Friday's series opener 9-8.

"It was a very frustrating series because every game was right there to be won or lost," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said. "We found a way to lose it, something we have to correct.

"They've been steady in all their games. The big thing, they don't beat themselves. We did beat ourselves."

JSU, which has the best OVC record since joining the league in 2004, improved to 25-19 overall and 17-4 in conference play. The Gamecocks have won 12 of their last 13 OVC games.

More impressively, the Gamecocks are 8-1 in one-run conference games and 13-2 in OVC contests decided by three runs or less. The Gamecocks have won their last six league contests decided by one run.

"They're very disciplined. They do the little things right," junior left fielder Derek Gibson said.

Southeast fell to 20-25 overall and 12-12 in OVC play. The Redhawks have lost five of their last six OVC games and seven of eight overall.

The Redhawks have lost their last six contests decided by one run. They have suffered four one-run losses in a 13-day span, including three in extra innings.

"It's been a tough stretch for us," Bieser said.

Sunday's opener saw Southeast score just one run after the first inning as JSU took advantage of Southeast miscues to plate the winning run in the 10th.

Freshman pinch-hitter Ty Pierce led off the 10th against senior closer Bobby Hurst with an infield single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, went to third when Hurst fired an errant pickoff throw and came home on a sacrifice fly by freshman left fielder Chase Silvani. The run was unearned.

"We have to be able to execute simple plays," Bieser said.

Southeast had an opportunity to at least send the game to the 11th inning when sophomore second baseman Jason Blum led off the bottom of the 10th with a double off sophomore closer Travis Stout.

Gibson sacrificed Blum to third but he never got farther. Junior first baseman Matt Tellor struck out and sophomore third baseman Andy Lennington fouled out as Stout notched his 14th save of the season and second of the series.

"We just needed the big hit. We never got it," Hewitt said of the series in general.

Sophomore left-hander Will Spitzfaden, who leads the Redhawks with five wins, allowed eight hits and three runs in eight innings. He struck out one and walked one.

Hurst (2-2) suffered his second loss of the series. He pitched the final two innings and allowed the unearned run on just the one hit.

Junior Taylor Shields, who leads JSU with six victories, allowed eight hits and three runs, two earned, in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three.

JSU's bullpen, stellar all season, continued that work. Three relievers held Southeast scoreless on two hits over the final 3 2/3 innings.

The Redhawks, who led 2-0 after one inning on RBI singles by Hewitt and sophomore DH Ryan Barnes, scored an unearned run in the sixth to go ahead 3-2.

Junior shortstop Andrew Bishop tied it in the seventh with a solo homer, and the Gamecocks threatened to take the lead in the eighth when junior second baseman Coty Blanchard sent a fly ball to deep left field that looked like it might leave the park.

Gibson drifted back, timed his leap perfectly and snatched the ball just before it disappeared beyond the eight-foot-high wall.

"I was just wanting to do anything I could for the team," Gibson said. "When it was hit, I thought it was gone. I just decided to go for it, I had nothing to lose. A play like that could have been a turning point."

Southeast outhit JSU 10-9. Hewitt went 3 for 4. Barnes, Blum and Gibson each added two hits.

Pitching also dominated the nightcap as Southeast junior Luke Shearrow and JSU sophomore left-hander Tony Urban each threw five shutout innings.

Shearrow allowed a sixth-inning run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He worked around five walks and struck out six.

Urban allowed a single to the first batter he faced, Blum, before retiring 17 straight. Southeast forged a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning when Blum doubled with two outs and Gibson had an RBI single.

Things fell apart for the Redhawks in the seventh. JSU used two hits and four walks to score four runs.

Silvani drew a leadoff walk from freshman lefty Alex Winkelman, who struck out the final two batters in the sixth after relieving Shearrow.

Winkelman balked Silvani to second and, with Southeast's infield moving in for a bunt, Silvani stole third.

After a walk, Silvani scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman Adam Miller.

Another walk and a single off freshman Alex Siddle, who relieved Winkelman, loaded the bases. Siddle recorded a strikeout, but junior third baseman Eddie Mora-Loera lofted a three-RBI double to break things open.

Southeast added a run in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out RBI single by Hewitt after Lennington doubled.

"If you take it player by player, I think we match up really well with them," Gibson said. "Just a couple of breaks here or there was the difference in the ballgames."

Winkelman (3-4) was tagged with the loss. He was charged with three runs despite not allowing a hit. All three walks he issued scored.

Urban allowed three hits and the sixth-inning run in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

Freshman Graham Officer (4-0) recorded two outs in each game and notched both victories. He was part of a bullpen that held Southeast to six hits and two runs over 9 2/3 innings during the series.

"Our bullpen has been tremendous," JSU coach Jim Case said.

Southeast was outhit 6-5. Blum had two hits as he went 4 for 8 on the day. Hewitt finished 4 for 7 with two RBIs.