TAHLEQUAH, Okla. ---- Colton Burgess hit his eighth home run of the year and Alex Brough was 3-5 at the plate with an RBI as the RiverHawks fell 7-4 in 14 innings to Central Oklahoma in MIAA baseball action at Thomas C. Rousey Field here Thursday.

NSU has now dropped five straight and fall to 10-26 on the year and 7-15 in conference play.

The RiverHawks and Bronchos are no strangers to extra-inning affairs.  The two teams engaged in a 14 inning game back in 2016 with NSU prevailing 10-9.  UCO returned the favor this afternoon gaining the 7-4 win.

Both starters had stellar performances on the mound as runs were hard to come by.  UCO's Dustin Hall pitched into the eighth inning, while NSU's Jonathan Smithey lasted 6.2 innings.

Smithey held the Bronchos bats in check, allowing just three hits, struck out five and gave up one run. Northeastern State went deep into the bullpen, as nine different pitchers took the hill.  Jeremy Husband was credited with the loss.

The RiverHawks outhit the Bronchos 14-12, Alex Massie and Alex Brough each had three hits apiece, while Blake Freeman, Jaxon Phipps, and Burgess followed with two hits.

Erick Espinosa got things started for the RiverHawks offense in the opening frame with a leadoff double and Burgess cleared the bases with his team-leading 8th home run of the year to give NSU the 2-0 lead after one inning of play.

Smithey held the Bronchos offense in check through five innings, allowing one hit and struck out three. 

Central Oklahoma found the plate in the sixth inning, using a leadoff single, sacrifice bunt, wild pitch, and infield ground out to shortstop to score a run and trail 2-1.  The Bronchos took its first lead of the day in the eighth inning plating two to lead 3-2.

NSU answered back in the eighth, Freeman legged out a triple and scored on a Phipps sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3 after eight innings of play.

After a scoreless ninth and 10th inning, UCO took a 4-3 lead in the 11th inning.  

NSU again answered the run.  Massie led off the bottom of the 11th with a double and scored on a Brough single to left field to tie the game at 4-4.

UCO broke the game open in the 14th, the Bronchos took advantage of two NSU errors to plate three in the inning to nail down the 7-4 win.

The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday to avoid the impending weekend weather.  Game one is slated to start at 10:30 am, with game two to follow.

As always, check with www.goriverhawksgo.com for game times and any schedule changes.