MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State baseball team (17-18, 11-11 MIAA) fell 12-2 in its midweek contest with Missouri Western (9-24, 7-15 MIAA) on Wednesday at Bearcat Baseball Field. 

The Griffons pelted 17 hits against the Bearcat pitching staff, nine of which came on extra-base hits. Ryan Williams drew two walks with a pair of hits to lead Northwest offensively, as Sam Wornson recorded a double. 

Opening arms for both squads were settled in early, allowing just three hits apiece before Williams crossed the plate off a wild pitch to give Northwest a 1-0 lead in the third. 

Missouri Western answered back with a leadoff triple, followed by a single, to knot it up at 1-1. Bearcat starter Ashton Neuman ran into a bit of trouble when the Griffons took a 2-1 lead with their second triple of the inning. Missouri Western added another to hold a 3-1 advantage after the top half of the fourth. 

Sam Wornson smoked a double into the right-center gap to later score on a rundown drawn by Jacob Selock to end the fourth, trimming the deficit to 3-2. 

Griffons' three-hole hitter, Anthony Taggert, made it a 5-2 ballgame after a two-run shot in the fifth, as Connor Polli took the mound for Neuman with one out in the fifth. Missouri Western added a pair to lead 7-2. 

In the sixth, the Griffons tacked on with back-to-back solo homers to extend their lead to 9-2. 

Missouri Western added three runs in the seventh and shut down Northwest's offense in the bottom half to secure a 12-2 victory. 

Diego Rodriguez paced the Griffon attack, driving in three on a 2-for-3 day from the plate. 
 
UP NEXT
Northwest will host the Newman Jets in a three-game series at Bearcat Baseball Field. First pitch for the series opener is set for 3 p.m., on Friday, April 11. 

NOTES
Young extended his hitting streak to seven games...Miles has reached base safely in 16 consecutive contests...Williams secured his 14th multi-hit performance this season.