BROKEN ARROW, Okla. – The Northeastern State University RiverHawks hit a one-out, two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to steal a 5-4 win away from the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team Saturday.
 
The RiverHawks snapped a five-game losing skid and moved to 11-14 overall (5-9 MIAA) with the come-from-behind victory. Northwest fell to 5-20 overall (3-11 MIAA). Overnight rain in Tahlequah forced the contest to be moved to Broken Arrow High School.
 
Northwest starting pitcher Max Spitzmiller notched his eighth career 10-plus strikeout performance as he whiffed a career-high tying 11 RiverHawk batters in seven innings of work. It is the sixth time in Spitzmiller's career that he has struck out 11 batters in a game.
 
Spitzmiller scattered six hits over seven innings. He was charged with three runs (two earned). He walked one batter.
 
The RiverHawks took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer to center from Blake Freeman when he led off the third inning against Spitzmiller.
 
Northwest leveled the contest at 1-1 in the top of the fourth. Ryan Williams doubled and was brought home on an RBI single to right-center by Trey Morris.
 
NSU tallied an unearned run in the bottom half of the fourth to retake the lead at 2-1. Spitzmiller struck out three batters in the fourth after doing the same in the second.
 
Northwest took a 3-2 advantage in the sixth when Morris unloaded with a two-out, two-run homer to center.
 
NSU drew even at 3-3 on a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the sixth.
 
Northwest gained the upper hand again in the seventh. D.J. Heck ripped a double down the left field line to lead off the inning. He advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a throwing error from the NSU catcher.
 
Bearcat reliever Jacob Gajic came on to spell Spitzmiller in the eighth inning. Gajic worked around a double and walk in the eighth as he held the RiverHawks off the board.
 
Gajic surrendered a leadoff double in the ninth before he struck out Freeman. Brayden Rodden lifted a flyball to right center that cleared the fence and gave the RiverHawks a 5-4 victory.
 
The Bearcats and RiverHawks will get game two of the three-game series underway Sunday at 2 p.m.
 
NOTES: Cole Slibowski reached base for the 16th straight game … he did not have a hit, but drew a walk to lead off the contest … Heck secured his seventh multi-hit game this season … Evan Tocmo notched his sixth multi-hit contest … Morris extended his hitting streak to three games in a row and notched his fifth multi-hit game this year … Morris was credited with his second multi-RBI game this season … Gajic took the loss and fell to 2-3 on the year.