AUSTIN, Texas – Pitching ruled in the opening day of the season for the NSU baseball team who split their games against #7 St. Edward's on Friday afternoon.   

The RiveHawks got a complete game win out of Hunter Neal to beat the Hilltoppers 5-2 in the opener, they would drop the nightcap with NSU getting one-hit to fall 3-1. 

Northeastern State scattered five hits between five batters, Zach Parish pitched 6 2/3 innings in the second game, with all three runs being unearned.

In the opener, NSU beat down the door first and drew three straight walks to start the fourth inning.  The RiverHawks got the game's first run on a St. Ed's error and picked up their second run on a ground out RBI. 

NSU's lead was short lived and in the bottom half of the inning the Hilltopper's did their damage with two outs and back-to-back singles that led to a pair of runs to even the game at two.

Two more scoreless innings passed before the RiverHawks got a leadoff runner on by a hit-by-pitch.  A ground out and single put the runners on the corners for Dakota Morse who got NSU's go-ahead run on a fielder's choice.   Dakota Woods followed up with a RBI double and Blake Vandegrift singled in a RBI for two more insurance runs.

In the bottom half of the inning, St. Ed's got the tying run on deck with one out but they popped up and lined out to end the game.

The second game of the double-header was a true pitcher's duel and through the first three innings only two hits were recorded.   St. Edward's manufactured a run on a one out single that led to a stolen base, and a passed ball to put the runner on third.  A fly out scored the go-ahead run that was unearned.

In the seventh, St. Ed's got pair of insurance runs with the RiverHawks hurting themselves on two errors.    NSU got their lone run of the game in the eight on a Hilltopper error but they would go down in order in the ninth.

Northeastern State will be playing for the series win on Saturday with a nine inning game schedule for 1 p.m.