The Southeast Missouri State baseball team finished its Red & Black Fall Series on Oct. 29 when the Black squad won game seven and the series 4-3 on a walk-off double by junior outfielder Dan Holst in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.

The series was competitive throughout as both the Red and Black teams each won three games before the decisive game seven.

The Red team opened with a 1-0 lead through three innings but then the Black squad came alive and struck for a three-run inning in the fourth.

The Black squad held a 4-1 lead going into the top of the seventh.

After a two-run inning in the top half of the seventh, the Black squad answered back with a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to take a 6-3 lead.

After a three-run homer belted into left center field, the Red team tied the game at six after the top of the eighth, and both teams were held scoreless until Holst's game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth.

Holst, who struggled throughout the series, was happy to end it on a positive note.

"When I got into the box, I was doing anything I could to help the team to win," Holst said. "I got a good pitch to hit and I took advantage of it."

Holst is a transfer from Southwest Illinois Community College and is eligible to play this season.

He was named as a top prospect in the summer when he played in the Jayhawk League, which is a prospect summer league for college baseball players.

The overall theme after the game was the heart the players had throughout the series.

"We got guys with heart," senior catcher Scott Mitchell said. "The score of every game we had was close. Both sides fought very hard, and anybody who was watching can see that."

Coach Steve Bieser praised the team and how everybody stepped up in different spots.

"It was never the same guy," Bieser said. "Each game it was a different guy and a lot of guys played really well."

The players love the competition of these games and how they are impressed by how each player is competing even in the fall.

"I took [this series] as we got a lot of good players on this team," senior infielder Brandon Boggetto said. "We have a lot of competition, everyone's fighting for a spot."

Southeast won the regular season Ohio Valley Championship last spring and, after losing the first game, came all the back to play in the in conference championship game before bowing out and barely missing the NCAA tournament.

Since the Black squad won, they get a steak dinner served to them by the losing team.

However, since the Red team lost, they only get beans for dinner.

"We reward the winning team with a steak and beans dinner," Bieser said. "The winning team gets the steak and the losing team gets the beans. The losing team has to serve the winning team. That put a lot of excitement in it as well."

On the other side of the ball, the Red team has to deal with losing the series and hear the Black squad gloat in victory over the winter until practice begins.

"It hurts right now," Boggetto joked. "But at the end of the day, we're a team."

Mitchell also said he was a little bummed he won't get his hands on the steak dinner either.

"Yeah there's some bitterness going on," Mitchell said with a smile. "Nobody likes to lose but when you look at it as a whole, as a unit, that's real exciting and nothing's going to change going into the spring."

Nobody is satisfied either. Every player knows he still needs to work to get better in the offseason to be ready for the regular season opener on Feb. 19 at Lamar. Southeast's first home series is scheduled for March 4 against Central Arkansas.