MARYVILLE, Mo. - A six-run fifth inning propelled the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team to a 6-3 win over the visiting Missouri Western State University Griffons Friday at the Bearcat Baseball Field.

The squads put up matching zeroes through the first 4 1/2 innings before Northwest broke through against Griffon lefty starter Robert Farrell. The Bearcats batted around in the fifth on the benefit of six hits, two walks and a pair of Griffon errors.

Designated hitter Parker Griffth began the inning with a single to right. D.J. Heck put down a sacrifice bunt in front of the plate to advance Griffth to second. Caden Diel followed with an RBI single to left with a full count that plated Griffith to tally the first run of the contest. Layne Shiers singled through the open left side of the infield to put runners on first and second with only one out. Jacob Selock lifted a fly ball down the right field line that MWSU's Hunter Olson could not track down and Selock ended up on third with a triple as Diel and Shiers crossed the plate for a 3-0 lead. Cole Slibowski connected on the inning's fourth straight hit for the Bearcats on a bunt down the first base line that eventually hit the base almost at the same time Slibowski arrived. Slibowski's single scored Selock. Alex Bowers hit a grounder to first that was botched by MWSU's Will Courtney that scored Slibowski when the right fielder Olson's throw went awry to put Northwest on top, 5-0. Following a pitching change, Bowers scored on a wild pitch to take the score to 6-0 in Northwest's favor. Ryan Koski drew a walk before Trey Morris flew out to center. Griffith notched his second hit of the inning before Heck grounded into a fielder's choice to end the six-run outburst.

Bearcat starter Alex Slocum moved to 3-4 on the season has pitched 6 1/3 and got the win on the bump. Slocum struck out seven Griffons. Slocum pitched six scoreless innings before being tagged for three runs in the seventh. Bearcat skipper Darin Loe turned to Jaxson Meyer to extinguish the Griffon rally and Meyer limited the damage to three runs in the seventh. Meyer did not allow a hit in 1 2/3 of work and he struck out two.

Jacob Gajic picked up his second save of the season with a perfect ninth inning to secure the 6-3 victory for the Bearcats.

Northwest and Missouri Western will wrap up the three-game set Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Bearcat Baseball Field.

NOTES: Caden Diel extended his hitting streak to seven straight with a single in the fifth ... Alex Bowers moved his hitting streak to five in a row with a first-inning single ... Bowers posted his sixth multi-hit game of the season ... Jacob Selock recorded his fifth multi-hit game this year ... Alex Slocum appeared in his 65th career game and gained his 13th career victory for the Bearcats ... Slocum's 65 career pitching appearances ranks fourth in school history ... Slocum struck out seven batters to give him 149 in his career and move him into Northwest's all-time top-10 list for strikeouts.