MARYVILLE, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri State University baseball season came to an end Sunday in a 16-6 loss to the Rogers State University Hillcats at the Bearcat Baseball Field.

Northwest was held without a hit through the first four innings but rallied with a five-run fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Northwest took a 6-3 lead into the seventh but the Bearcat bullpen surrendered 11 runs on eight hits and six walks as the Hillcats won the three-game series.

Bearcat starter Zach Wiese worked into the seventh and struck out nine. Wiese got the first out of the seventh before he gave way to the bullpen. Wiese allowed eight hits and four runs while walking two batters.

The Hillcats hit a pair of solo homers in the second and fifth innings to build a 2-0 lead.

The Bearcats finally got to Hillcat starter Colton Anderson in the fifth inning after going hitless through four. Trey Morris led off with a single to break up the no-hit bid. Brady Miles ended the shutout bid as he launched the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall for a two-run homer. Layne Shiers was hit by a pitch and moved up to second on a balk by Anderson. Anderson uncorked a wild pitch to allow Shiers to head to third. Parker Griffith worked a walk to put runners on the corners with nobody out. After Quinn Mason went down on strikes, Jacob Selock greeted Anderson with a bomb to left on a full count to give the Bearcats a 5-2 advantage. 

Rogers State got a run back in the sixth, but Wiese avoided any trouble by trading a ground ball double play for a run and the Bearcats held a 5-3 lead.

Northwest nearly broke the game open in the sixth. Northwest loaded the bases with two outs via two hit batters and a walk. Selock drew a bases loaded walk to score Miles and give the Bearcats a 6-3 lead. It would be the final run of the game for the Bearcats.

Wiese got one out in the seventh that was book-ended by a pair of singles and he gave way for Jaxson Meyer. Meyer faced two batters and allowed a wild pitch, a walk and a single before he was lifted for Alexander Lovin. Lovin got an out but issued three walks and a hit before he was lifted for Casey Stalzer. Stalzer gave up a bases loaded walk that put the Hillcats on top, 9-6. 

Northwest hit into a pair of inning-ending double plays in the seventh and eighth, while Rogers State added three runs in the eighth and four more in the ninth for a 16-6 edge.

The Bearcat ninth featured a pinch-hit double by pitcher Colin Shreves as he drove a 1-1 count to the wall in left center for the stand-up two-bagger. Alex Bowers drew his second walk of the game and Ryan Koski kept the game going when he beat out a single to shortstop. Morris flew out to right to end the contest.

Northwest wrapped up its 2023 season with an overall mark of 13-34.