MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State baseball team (5-7 overall) picked up a 6-3 victory over Concordia, St. Paul in game one of its three-game home series at Bearcat Baseball Field. 

Bearcat starter George Fisher made his third start of the early season, striking out a season-high four batters across 4 2/3 innings of work. Freshman Leonardo May earned his first career win without giving up any hits or runs in two innings, as Logan Brasel closed out the final inning to pick up his first save of the season. Garrett Stoll and Kayden Cook each logged appearances out of the bullpen for the Bearcats. 

Senior Ashton Neuman blasted a three-run homer in the second inning, totaling a game-high four RBIs on the day. Senior Dylan Hufft went 2-for-4 with a double, as Brady Miles piled on a pair of hits. 

CSP (1-3 overall) tallied the game's first run with a solo shot to left to start the top half of the second. Next half inning, Neuman answered with his third homer of the season, this time a three-run shot to put the 'Cats ahead 3-1 after two complete.  

After a leadoff double by CSP's Noah Juliar, Fisher was able to strand the runner on third to keep the Golden Bears off the scoreboard. 

Fisher's day was done after plunking a Golden Bear to load the bases up with two outs in the top half of the fifth, as senior Stoll took the mound in relief. Stoll was able to keep CSP off the scoreboard, keeping it a 3-1 advantage. 

Ryan Williams led off the fifth with a HBP, then Dylan Hufft striped a double into the right-center gap to stick runners on second and third with no outs. Kaehukai Young put a ball in play to score Williams from third to add another run, 4-1. Alex Bowers executed the hit-and-run perfectly to bring in Hufft, singling up the middle to make it a 5-1 ballgame. 

The Golden Bears plated two runs on two hits to trim the Bearcats' lead to 5-3 in the top half of the sixth. 
Northwest went to its fourth arm of the afternoon, as Liberty, Mo., native, Kayden Cook entered for May in the eighth. CSP stuck runners on first and second with one out before Cook was able to get an inning-ending ground out to hold the score at 5-3, Bearcats. 

Parker Griffith singled to begin the eighth, followed by a beautiful bunt-single from Chester Brooks, in which set the 'Cats up for a crooked number. Neuman eventually drew a bases-loaded walk to seal a 6-3 win in game one of the three-game set. 
 
UP NEXT
Northwest returns to its home diamond for game two against Concordia, St. Paul Friday, Feb. 28. First-pitch is set for 1 p.m.