TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State could not recover from a pair of big innings and was swept 12-4 and 5-2 by Missouri Western on Saturday afternoon. 

In the opener, Emily Sampson and Addy Wolfe homered, but it was a six-run sixth inning by the Grffions that caused all the problems for the RiverHawks.  Missouri Western (27-12, 9-7 MIAA) smacked three homers to left field during the frame.  

Sampson's homer was in the second inning and made it a 3-2 ballgame.  Missouri Western had 12 hits and six extra-base knocks. 

NSU had seven hits in a game that went over two and a half hours to complete, surpassing any of the three games this last weekend and the neighboring Thomas C. Rousey Field. 

In the opening inning of the night cap, Northeastern State scored, with Wolfe hitting an RBI single.  All of Missouri Western's scoring happened in the fourth.  The Griffons plated the tying run on a single and the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice.  The dagger was a bases-clearing double to left field. 

Down 5-1 in the seventh, the RiverHawks threatened late, pushing a run home and getting the tying run at the plate.  However, the two-out rally ended with a first-pitch ground out to second base. 

The RiverHawks drop to 22-17 on the year and are 4-10 in MIAA play; they remain home to host Central Oklahoma on April 14 for a doubleheader.