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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State baseball team came away with a two-game split against Missouri Southern State University Wednesday afternoon at Thomas C. Rousey Field.
 
The Lions (11-11, 7-9 MIAA) took the first game 5-4 in extra innings, but the RiverHawks (12-11, 12-11 MIAA) captured the second contest 7-3 to snap a recent four-game losing skid.
 
MSSU 5, NSU 4 (box score)
Missouri Southern State came out swinging, as the visitors took a 3-0 lead after three frames. The RiverHawks recorded the first two outs of the second inning, but a Nick Doughty walk followed by a Shaun Hoover triple plated the first run of the game. Hoover scored on a Michael McCoy infield single, and Sam Ryan found his way home in the third.
 
Dallas Burke scored on a Will Wagner sacrifice fly in the fifth to put his team on top 4-0, and it looked like the Lions would cruise to victory.
 
That was until NSU was able to tie the game with a four-run bottom half of the fifth. The frame began with a single by sophomore David Weber. Senior Chad Davidson also singled and junior Cody Robinson walked to load the bases.
 
Senior Trent Wilkins moved everybody up 90 feet with a single to right center, and Davidson scored later on a wild pitch. Junior Ryan Staggs recorded his first triple of the season to plate both Robinson and Wilkins, and the RiverHawks ended the frame all square with their opponents.
 
Neither team scored in the final two innings, and an extra session was needed to decide matters. MSSU would come out on top after Keith Freeman scored on a sacrifice fly from McCoy.
 
Payton Walker (1-3) earned the win on the mound for Missouri Southern State. He threw 2.2 innings of relief and only allowed one hit. Brett Abell was the starter, and he lasted 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on five hits. David Reese picked up his third save of the season.
 
Sam Ryan paced the Lions with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. McCoy recorded two runs batted in.
 
Weber and Wilkins each had two of NSU's six hits. Staggs led with RBI.
 
Senior Frank Sprick (2-2) took the loss after allowing the game-winning run in the eighth. Sophomore Hayden Walch started the contest, and lasted 3.0 innings. He gave up three runs on six hits. Freshman Andrew Walker did not allow a run in two innings of relief. Senior Trevor Walch and junior Addison Williams also threw in the game.
 
NSU 7, MSSU 3 (box score)
A solid effort on the mound from Trevor Walch coupled with five two-out runs helped the RiverHawks earn the series split with the Lions.
 
Northeastern State struck first in the second inning when Robinson blasted his 11th home run of the season. The road side countered with a McCoy run in the top of the third following Ryan's single to right center.
 
Staggs and freshman Cody Begovich went down in order to begin the home half of the third, but a Weber single through the left side sparked a three-run inning. Davidson singled to bring home Weber, and Knight singled to bring home Davidson. A Wilkins single plated Knight, and the RiverHawks were off and running with a 4-1 lead.
 
NSU manufactured two more two-out runs in the fourth, and the home side was able to earn the 7-3 victory.
 
Every starting fielder recorded a hit for the RiverHawks, led by two each from Weber, Davidson and Wilkins. Davidson recorded three RBI and seven different members of the squad scored. Walch (1-1) threw the first five innings and earned his first win of the season after allowing three runs on seven hits. Sophomores Kyle Shambaugh and T.J. Foster each tossed the final two frames and did not allow a hit.
 
McCoy was 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead MSSU, and Ryan recorded two runs batted in. David Reese (2-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs on nine hits in the first 3.2 innings. Payton Walker, Bo Bergen and Kanon Hoover also saw time on the mound for the visitors.
 
Northeastern State will step out of conference action for the first time this season when the team plays host to Southeastern Oklahoma State University for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. March 23.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH TRAVIS JANSSEN
On Trevor Walch's pitching effort over the two games…
“Trevor Walch has been telling me for about a week and a half how good his arm feels. He's been working extra hard between starts and conditioning himself the way he should be. For him to give us that many innings was an unexpected bonus. He pitched over the weekend, but he felt really good and he did a good job today.”
 
On the offensive effort in the second game…
“We do a good job offensively most games. Everyone in our lineup had a hit (in the second game), and Chad Davidson had a big two-out hit in the fourth inning that drove in two runs. Five of our seven runs were scored with two outs, and that's always a good thing.”
 
On scoring with two outs…
“We try to make an emphasis that just because there are two outs and nobody on base, the inning is not over. We have to continue to pressure, and we were able to do that in the second game. We were fortunate to come away with a win.”
 
On the importance of stopping the recent four-game losing skid…
“Anytime you get on a streak going in the wrong direction, you want to get it turned around quickly. It felt good to be able to get a win today.”
 
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