JACKSON, Tenn. -- The Southeast Missouri State baseball team continued its late-season surge Wednesday night.
Southeast's most recent impressive performance allowed the Redhawks to end an unenviable streak at the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
Sixth-seeded Southeast captured its opening game at the OVC tournament for the first time since 2008 by rallying past third-seeded Jacksonville State 4-1.
"It's unbelievable the way we played tonight," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan, whose squad that has made a conference-record 18 straight tournament appearances also was seeded sixth the last time it won its first tournament contest. "To think with where we were four, five weeks ago ... I can't say enough about the guys and how far we've come."
The Redhawks will try to stay in the all-important winners bracket of the six-team, double-elimination event when they play top-seeded Austin Peay in today's 7 p.m. second semifinal.
Defending OVC tournament and regular-season champion Austin Peay, which also claimed a share of this year's regular-season title, earned a first-round bye.
"It's definitely a change. It's definitely a good feeling to get in the winners bracket," senior shortstop Kenton Parmley said.
Southeast, which started conference play 3-9 and was 8-24 overall at one point, rebounded to go 9-6 in its final 15 OVC games to earn the last tournament spot.
"It took longer than we wanted, but we feel like we're clicking at the right time," senior first baseman Kody Campbell said.
The Redhawks (22-34), whose two tournament defeats last season were against JSU (26-29), lost two one-run decisions to the Gamecocks while posting a two-run victory during this year's series in Jacksonville, Ala., in late March.
Wednesday's contest was just as close much of the way. Southeast trailed 1-0 before going ahead for good with a three-run sixth inning that featured all the damage after the first two batters were retired.
Southeast's keys to victory were a strong start by true freshman left-hander Will Spitzfaden, strong relief by sophomore left-hander Christian Hull, the sixth inning in which the final two runs came home on a dropped fly ball and a saving catch by little-used redshirt freshman Dalton Hewitt.
"There were so many big plays," Hogan said.
Spitzfaden, who started because junior ace Shae Simmons needed another day of rest, pitched four shutout innings before being charged with a run in the fifth after he had come out of the game.
"I was very excited getting the first start in the conference tournament," Spitzfaden said. "It was pretty cool."
Spitzfaden allowed four hits over four innings. He struck out four, walked one and hit three batters.
"Will gave us a great start, and Hull has been so sweet for us on the back side," Hogan said.
Hull, who has become a shutdown reliever after beginning the season as a starter, escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth inning after JSU had scored a run.
"They had a chance to blow it open," Hull said.
Hull also got out of a bases-loaded, two-out threat in the eighth inning that ended on a brilliant catch by Hewitt, who has seen little action since early in the year after injuring an ankle.
"The thing he does, he's never stopped working," Hogan said. "He's one of our best defenders."
Hewitt, who came on to play right field in the sixth inning, charged hard and dived to snare Michael Bishop's line drive and preserve Southeast's 4-1 lead.
"I was just trying to be aggressive," Hewitt said. "I knew I could get it."
Hull (4-7) earned the win by working the final five innings. He gave up just two hits while striking out three and walking three. He threw 101 pitches.
"I did it all last year," said Hull, who was a reliever as a true freshman in 2011. "I wasn't worried about throwing too many pitches because I was a starter."
Southeast's sixth-inning rally, which was fueled by the bottom of the order, began when Campbell, the No. 6 batter, walked with two outs.
True freshman DH Ryan Barnes singled, and senior second baseman Taylor Heon's single brought home Campbell with the tying run.
Redshirt freshman right fielder Jason Blum, who didn't start because of a hamstring problem, drew a pinch-hit walk to load the bases.
Parmley's fly ball to short center field was dropped by Bishop, who had to run a long way, for a two-run error that put Southeast up 3-1.
"Judging by the helmet toss, it was kind of surprising," said a smiling Parmley, who poked fun at himself after he threw his helmet in disgust immediately following the fly ball. "I didn't expect him to drop it."
The Redhawks added an insurance run in the seventh inning when sophomore left fielder Derek Gibson doubled and scored on redshirt freshman center fielder Andy Lennington's RBI double.
Gibson also had a key defensive play in the fourth inning when he gunned down a runner at the plate to keep things scoreless.
The Redhawks outhit JSU 11-6. Campbell went 3 for 4, and Barnes added two hits.
Southeast won despite its top two hitters, All-American senior third baseman Trenton Moses and Parmley, both going 1 for 5.
"We probably don't win when that happens even a few weeks ago," Hogan said.
"We've only got six seniors, but the younger guys have grown up and learned so much from the older guys."
Moses, the two-time OVC player of the year, extended his school-record streak of reaching base safely to 76 games with a double in the eighth inning.
The Redhawks will try to take down top-seeded Austin Peay (34-21), which won all three games against Southeast during both teams' first conference series in late March. Scores were 8-5, 5-2 and 11-7.
"They'll be a tough opponent," Campbell said.