MARYVILLE, Missouri - The Missouri Western State University baseball team scored a 9-1 victory over the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats Saturday in the final game of a three-game series.

Northwest fell to 10-12 overall and 9-9 in MIAA play, while Missouri Western improved to 8-16 overall and 6-12 in league action.

The Griffons outhit the Bearcats, 11-6. Four of Northwest's six hits came with two outs in an inning. The Bearcats had the leadoff batter on base only once, when Matt Gastner led off the bottom of the third for their first hit of the contest.

The Griffons put up three in the third and escaped a based loaded jam in the bottom half of the inning. Missouri Western tacked on a single run in the fifth to up the score to 4-0.

The Griffons tallied three more runs in the seventh and a solo homer in the eighth to take an 8-0 lead.

Northwest got on the board in the bottom of the eighth. Connor Quick and Ryan Koski each drew two-out walks. Peter Carlson came through with an RBI double to plate Quick, but Gastner lined out to shortstop to end the inning.

Missouri Western hit a solo homer in the ninth and put the Bearcats down in order in the bottom half of the inning to take the game, 9-1.

Northwest will return to action Wednesday with a single game at Ottawa at 2 p.m. The Bearcats will get back into MIAA action next weekend with a three-game set at Central Oklahoma.

NOTES: Matt Gastner posted his fourth multi-hit game of the season and 24th of his Bearcat career ... Zach Shadlow made his first start of the season after making eight appearances in the shortened 2020 season ... Shadlow went four innings and allowed three hits, three runs, two walks and struck out three.