TAHLEQUAH – A three run fifth inning rally by the RiverHawks was enough to give Northeastern State a 6-3 win on Sunday to sweep Northwest Missouri State in the opening weekend of MIAA play.
 
Sunday's win gave the RiverHawks a 3-0 start in league play for the first time since at-least 2004, and it was NSU's first MIAA sweep of the Bearcats.
 
"It's definitely a good start, I'm really proud of the way that the guys played, and the guys competed," said head coach Jake Hendrick.  "The reality is that it was just a competitive series, both sides were really wanting to win, and there is emotion involved in wanting to win.  I want to see that kind of emotion out channeled into the right things and I think that for the most part throughout the weekend we really channeled that emotion into positive things for us."
 
Northeastern State started freshman Nolan Sturgeon (2-0) on the hill and he went 5 2/3 innings, with five strike outs, and one earned run given up. 
 
On the defensive side, the Bearcats (8-5, 0-3 MIAA) scored one earned run, with the other two resulting off of three NSU errors.
 
"The one thing that I'm probably most proud of is that we didn't let mistakes cost us," added Hendrick.  "Our pitchers didn't get rattled by mistakes or emotions and you got a freshman on the mound with a lot of emotion going on and he has the ability to stay calm and execute which is what you like to see."
 
Northeastern State had eight hits with Chad Reibenspies picking up a pair of singles and a double. 
 
Tyler Yancey came in during the sixth to sit down four batters, and Zach Poehl came out for the third day in a row for his second save of the season, tossing two scoreless frames.
 
The RiverHawks plated run in the opening inning on no-hits and three walks.  The Bearcats were turning a ground ball double play but the throw would miss first to allow the NSU to score from third.  After a scoreless inning, the Bearcats started the frame win a homer to left center to tie the game.  Later in the third, a NSU error with one out came back to hunt the RiverHawks and NWMSU plated the early go-ahead run on a two-out single to right field.
 
Reibenspies opened the home half if the fifth with a double that rattled of the center field fence.  The Bearcats followed up with a throwing error and a walk to load the bases for Zane Takhar who walked in the tying run in four pitches.  Heads up running by the RiverHawks allowed for two go-ahead runs on sac fly balls.

Northeastern State added an insurance run that started with a Bryce Davenport double to center, a bunt by Butch Rea moved him to third with one out.  Jordan Payne grounded out to third before Reibenspies drew a five pitch walk to put runners on the corners for Dakota Morse who dropped a single to center to send Davenport home to put NSU up 5-2.
 
The Bearcats managed to get the tying run at the plate in the eighth after a walk and error put runners on second and third with no outs.  A sac fly plated a run for NWMSU before Poehl who came in during the inning and struck out the next two batters to end the threat.
 
Rea singled and advanced to second on a fielding error to open the eighth inning.  Following a strikeout, Reibenspies dropped his third hit of the game to score Rea in to give NSU a 6-3 lead.
 
In the top of the ninth, the Bearcats hit a two-out single but the Poehl ended the game with a ground out to second. 
 
Northeastern State (8-3) continues their home stand on Tuesday where they will host Oklahoma Baptist in a non-conference game at 1 p.m.