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JOPLIN, Mo. – The Northeastern State baseball team opened the first round of the 2013 MIAA Baseball Championship with a 4-2 win over Missouri Southern State Saturday evening at Joe Becker Stadium.
 
The No. 6-seeded RiverHawks (28-21) and the No. 3-seeded Lions (29-19) are now set for a doubleheader May 5 that is scheduled to begin at noon. NSU has to win one of those two contests to take the best-of-three-game series and advance to the MIAA Championship finals May 9-11 at Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan.
 
Sophomore Kyle Shambaugh (4-2) threw a gem Saturday, allowing just two runs on five hits in 7.2 innings. He struck out four and did not concede a walk in the winning effort. Senior Trevor Walch sat down the last four batters to earn his MIAA-leading 10th save of the season. He is also now tied for ninth in the NCAA in saves this year.
 
Missouri Southern State opened the scoring in the bottom of the third when Nick Doughty led off the frame with a solo home run.
 
NSU took the lead in the top of the fifth, when three seniors combined to plate two runs. Chad Davidson reached on an error and Greg Jackson singled, and they were both brought home on a double from Trent Wilkins.
 
Junior Cody Robinson hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth to score a crucial insurance run in Wilkins. Dallas Burke scored in the bottom of the eighth to bring the score to 3-2, but sophomore Preston Cash added a fourth run for NSU in the top of the ninth and Walch shut the door on the Lions in the final frame.
 
Northeastern State outhit MSSU 7-6, led by two from both Wilkins and Cash. Wilkins drove home two and four different RiverHawks scored.
 
Brett Abell (4-3) threw 8.1 innings for the Lions, and he allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits. He struck out six and walked just one in the losing effort. David Reese recorded the final two outs for the home side.
 
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