MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State baseball team dropped a high scoring matchup to Missouri Southern, 14-11.
 
The Bearcats drop to 2-14 overall and 0-5 in MIAA play, while the Lions improve to 13-5 overall and 4-1 in conference action.
 
Missouri Southern scored the first run of the game in the top of the second with a single up the middle that scored the runner on second.
 
The Lions posted one more run in the top of the third with an RBI double to right center to give Southern a 2-0 lead. With one out, Bearcat pitcher Zach Wiese then struck out the next two batters to send it to the bottom of the inning with runners on second and third.
 
In the bottom of the third, DJ Heck loaded the bases with a single off the wall, and two batters later Quinn Mason singled to right field which scored Jacob Selock and Noah Bodenhausen to even the score at 2-2.
 
Northwest took its first lead of the day with a Cole Slibowski single to center field that allowed Alex Bowers to score from second. After four innings, the 'Cats led the Lions 3-2.
 
Missouri Southern wasted no time before tying the game at 3-3 with a solo shot over the left field wall.
 
In the top of the sixth, Missouri Southern scored back-to-back runs to take a 5-3 lead. Later in the inning, the Lions had the bases loaded and scored all three runners on an error and then followed that with a single to score one more runner to increase their lead to 10-3.
 
Northwest tallied two runs with a two-run homer from Selock in the bottom of the inning that also scored Evan Tocmo.
 
Southern tacked on three more runs in the seventh with a two-run home run to left center followed by a solo shot to left center.
 
Max Pawela hit a three-run shot over the left field fence that scored Ryan Koski and Heck to bring the score to 13-8 heading into the eighth inning.
 
The Lions put up one more run in the top of the eighth.
 
In the bottom of the inning, Koski smashed a three-run homer over the center field fence that scored Slibowski and Layne Shiers to bring Northwest within three runs at 14-11.
 
Northwest held Southern scoreless in the ninth but could not get any Bearcats on base to threaten the score in the bottom of the inning.
 
In the end, Missouri Southern came away with the 14-11 victory in the second game of the series.
 
Zach Weise is tagged with the loss on the mound going five innings with four strikeouts, while allowing six hits and three runs.
 
Game three is set for 1:00 p.m. at Bearcat Baseball Field, Sunday, March 5.