EDMOND, Okla. – Junior Caden Diel's head-first slide into a home on a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning gave the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team a 5-4 victory over the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos Saturday at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
The Bearcats moved their season mark to 10-28 overall and 8-18 in MIAA play. The Bronchos dropped to 27-13 overall and 15-11 in league action.
 
The Bearcat victory clinches their first MIAA series win this season. It is Northwest's first MIAA series win since taking down Fort Hays State April 23-25 in Hays, Kan. It is the third series win all-time for Northwest against Central Oklahoma. Northwest also picked up series wins over UCO in 2016 in Edmond, Okla., and in 2017 in Maryville, Mo.
 
Central Oklahoma bounced out to a 2-0 lead in the first after the first four Bronchos reached against Bearcat starter Max Spitzmiller.
 
Northwest cut the lead in half with a run in the second. Diel reached after he was hit by a pitch. Ryan Williams singled with two out to put runners on first and second. With Jacob Selock at the plate, UCO starter Caleb Burchfield uncorked a pair of wild pitches that allowed Selock to score.
 
The Bronchos used a two-out rally to plate a run in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead. UCO designated hitter Aiden Proctor singled, stole second and then crossed the plate after two wild pitches from Spitzmiller.
 
Northwest scratched across a run in the fifth without the benefit of a hit. Cole Slibowski led off and was hit by a pitch. Alex Bowers drew a base on balls. Ryan Koski flew out to center and Slibowski moved up to third on the play. Trey Morris lifted a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Slibowski to cut the UCO lead to 3-2.
 
Bearcat skipper Darin Loe went to his bullpen with two outs in the fifth with the Bronchos threatening to extend the lead. Spitzmiller faced four batters in the fifth getting two out but surrendering a hit and a walk. Loe summoned Andrew Clark with runners on first and second. Clark uncorked a wild pitch to put runners on second and third, but he struck out UCO catcher Matt Baughn to keep the score at 3-2 in favor of the Bronchos.
 
The Bearcats came up big with two outs in the sixth to take the lead for the first time Saturday. Williams singled to left with two outs. Max Pawela pinch hit for Selock and drew a walk. Noah Bodenhausen was inserted as a pinch runner for Pawela on the base paths. Slibowski reached on a throwing error by UCO shortstop Orlando Gonzalez to extend the inning and load the bases. Bowers delivered a two-out, two run single up the middle to score Slibowski and Bodenhausen to give Northwest a 4-3 advantage.
 
UCO evened the contest at 4-4 in the seventh. Clark got two outs in the inning but was lifted after he allowed a single, a walk and a wild pitch. Loe removed Clark in favor of Jacob Gajic. Gajic allowed a single to center that tied it up at 4-4.
 
Neither squad could scratch a run in the eighth as the Bearcats left two on the bases and the Bronchos had one runner stranded.
 
In the ninth, Diel reached via walk and Layne Shiers got in because of an error by UCO first baseman Austin Lambert. Williams sacrificed to the pitcher giving the Bearcats runners on second and third with one out. Bodenhausen followed with a sac fly to left to plate Diel as he beat the throw with a head first slide into home to give Northwest a 5-4 lead.
 
Gajic set the Bronchos down in order in the ninth to secure the one-run victory. Gajic worked the final 2 1/3 innings to get the win and move to 3-4 on the year. Gajic faced nine batters and allowed one hit and a walk to go along with a strikeout.
 
Spitzmiller got a no decision after he pitched 4 2/3 as the starter. He gave up six hits, three runs (all earned) and struck out five.
 
Northwest will go for the series sweep on Sunday. The Bearcat and Bronchos will take to Wendell Simmons Field at 1 p.m.
 
NOTES: Ryan Williams recorded his first three-hit game and sixth multi-hit contest of the season ... it is the fourth three-hit game of Williams's collegiate career at Northwest … Cole Slibowski extended his consecutive games of reaching base to 29 in a row … Caden Diel extended his hitting streak to 12 straight games with a single in the fourth … Max Spitzmiller upped her career strikeout total to 287 and trails the program's all-time leader Joseph Hietpas (2015-18), who posted 324 career strikeouts … Spitzmiller made his 58th career pitching appearance which is tied for seventh on the school's all-time pitching appearance list with Austin Battaglia (2015-17) … Northwest produced five two-out hits for the second consecutive game … UCO out-hit Northwest, 8-7 … UCO committed three errors to only one for Northwest.