EDMOND, Okla. – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team scored eight of its nine runs with two-out RBIs in a 9-3 series-opening win over the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos.
 
The Bearcats had five two-out hits in the contest as they improved to 9-28 overall and 7-18 in MIAA play. Central Oklahoma fell to 27-12 overall and 15-10 in league action. Northwest out-hit UCO, 9-7.

The Bearcats greeted Broncho starter Diego Dominguez with a five-run attack in the first inning. The Bearcats batted around against Dominguez with the benefit of singles and a double.
 
Cole Slibowski led off the contest with a double down the left field line. Alex Bowers drew a walk. Ryan Koski delivered an RBI single down the left field line to score Slibowski. Bowers and Koski moved up a base on a wild pitch. Following a pop out by Trey Morris, Parker Griffith came through with a sacrifice fly to center that plated Bowers. Caden Diel was plunked by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Layne Shiers ripped an RBI single up the middle to score Koski and up the lead to 3-0. Ryan Williams knocked in a pair with a two-out single to right center to put the Bearcats on top, 5-0, before the Bronchos had an at bat.
 
Bearcat starter Alex Slocum struck out a pair in the first and then worked around a one-out single in the second with another strikeout in the second.
 
The Bronchos could only add one run in the third despite having two hits and two walks. Slocum worked out of danger by striking out two more batters.
 
Northwest made it 6-1 in the fifth when Morris drilled his sixth home run of the season to left field. Morris hit the round tripper with two outs in the fifth.
 
UCO gained an unearned run in the sixth but Slocum added two more strikeouts to limit any more damage and Northwest held a 6-2 lead through six.
 
Slibowski was hit by a pitch to lead off the seventh. He moved up to second on a groundout to first by Bowers. Slibowski moved up 90 more feet on a flyout by Koski. Morris came into the contest ranked second on the squad with 13 two-out RBI and he added to it with a two-out RBI-double to left-center that scored Slibowski. Morris's RBI gave Northwest a 7-2 advantage.  
 
Slocum evened his season mark at 4-4 as he exited after six innings having allowed six hits and two runs (one earned). Slocum struck out eight and walked three.
 
Jaxson Meyer was summoned from the bullpen to begin the seventh. Meyer retired all six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings.
 
The Bearcats added some insurance runs in the ninth. Jacob Selock led off the inning as he reached on a throwing error by UCO shortstop Orlando Gonzalez. Slibowski was hit by a pitch. Bowers sacrificed to advance Selock and Slibowski to second and third. UCO elected to intentionally walk Koski to load the bases with one out. Morris struck out for the second out of the frame. Griffith came through with his first hit of the game that delivered two more runs for the 'Cats and took the lead to 9-2.
 
Meyer came out the bump in the ninth looking to close out a three-inning save opportunity. UCO loaded the bases with no on out courtesy of two Bearcat fielding errors by Slibowski and Meyer and single. Northwest got the first out of the ninth on a sac fly by UCO designated hitter Aiden Procter that pulled the Bronchos to within 9-3. After a wild pitch by Meyer put runners on second and third, Meyer got UCO third baseman Seth Gray to strike out. Meyer induced a lineout to right by UCO right fielder Kaleb Glass to end the game and secure his first collegiate save.
 
Dominguez suffered the loss and fell to 3-1 on the year. Dominguez was touched up for eight hits, seven runs (all earned) in 6 2/3 innings pitched. Dominguez struck out eight and walked one.
 
Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
NOTES: The Bearcats took advantage of five two-out hits against UCO pitching … Parker Griffith has recorded nine hits in 11 games this season … Griffith made his season debut on March 27 … Cole Slibowski has reached base in 28 consecutive games … Slibowski is tied for the team lead with 11 multi-hit contests this spring … Caden Diel extended his hitting streak to 11 straight games … Trey Morris has tallied seven multi-RBI games this season … Morris ranks second on the team with 15 two-out RBI this season … both of Morris's RBI in today's contest came with two outs … Morris has accumulated nine multi-hit games … Northwest came into the contest having scored 12 first-inning runs all season and the Bearcats tallied a five-run first against the Bronchos ... It is the third straight season that Northwest has won the opening game of a three-game series with Central Oklahoma.