MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team (23-24, 17-17 MIAA) tied its season-high four long-balls in a 10-6 win over Emporia State in game one of the weekend series at Bearcat Baseball Field. 

Ashton Neuman paced the 12-hit attack from the Bearcats with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, highlighted by a pair of home runs and three RBIs. Alex Bowers also had a two-hit performance with a double and two RBI. Dylan Hufft and Jacob Selock each tallied round-trippers. 

Starter Ben Haug (5-5) tossed seven complete innings while punching out nine Hornets. Logan Brasel secured his second save of the season, throwing the last 1 1/3 with no hits and two strikeouts. 

Haug tossed a three up, three down opening frame to keep the Hornets quiet offensively. Hufft smacked his first homer of the season on the first pitch of the home half to give the 'Cats an early 1-0 lead. A couple batters later, Neuman cranked a ball over the batter's eye in center field with another solo shot to push Northwest's lead to 2-0 after the first. 

Haug sat down his fifth batter to strike out the side in the second. Picking up right where they left off, the Bearcats tacked on another pair of runs. Sam Wornson led off with a single up the middle, followed by Bowers' RBI-double to center, 3-0. Selock later drove in Bowers on an RBI ground out to make it 4-0 through two. 

The Hornets loaded the bases with no outs after Haug allowed his first hit of the ballgame in the fourth. Emporia State cut Northwest's lead in half, scoring two runs in the frame, 4-2. 

In the fifth, Ryan Williams punched a two-out single. Neuman followed the single with his second homer of the afternoon, this time a two-run shot to make it 6-2. 

Selock tallied his ninth home run of the season in the seventh with a deep solo shot that cleared the left field fence, 7-2.  

The Hornets made it a one-run game with four runs in the top of the eighth, as Northwest led 7-6. 
 
Bowers brought in a pair of 'Cats with a single that got by the Hornets center fielder to score both Wornson and Young. Max Pawela pinch hit for Parker Griffith, who singled home Bowers to make it 10-6. 
 
Brasel sealed the series-opener for Northwest without allowing a single base runner has the Bearcats claimed a 10-6 victory over the Hornets.

UP NEXT
Game two of the three-game weekend series is set for 2 p.m., tomorrow at Bearcat Baseball Field.