Omaha, Neb. -- The Missouri Southern baseball team lost both ends of a double-header today at Nebraska-Omaha, falling 9-5 in the opener and 9-7 in the nightcap.
Southern (16-20, 12-18 MIAA) starter Ryan Wheat went toe-to-toe with UNO (22-11, 18-10) starter Joe Holtmeyer in game one as Wheat allowed just one run over the first four innings and Holtmeyer allowed a single run in the fifth inning.
Tee Helsel scored the Lions' first run on an RBI single from Dane Kolkmeyer in the fifth. The Mavericks broke it open, however, with six runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 7-1. Omaha added two more runs in the sixth before the Lions made it interesting with four runs in the top of the seventh, but it wasn't enough.
Wheat went four and a third, allowing just two earned runs and four hits, while striking out two. Grant Conrad, David Reese and Bo Bergen threw in relief.
Kolkmeyer, Dallas Burke and Patrick Deao had two hits each, with Burke driving in two and the trio scored a run each.
The Lions led 5-4 after four innings of game two, but the Mavericks broke the game open with five runs in the fifth inning.
After Deao doubled to lead off the second, he scored on an RBI single from Helsel. After the Lions loaded the bases, a pair of fielders choice scored two more runs in the inning. Burke and Deao scored in the third to put the Lions up 5-4, but it was a five-run fifth from UNO that put the game away.
The Lions added a single run in each of the seventh and ninth inning to cut the final score to 9-7. Helsel drove in Deao in the seventh and scored again in the ninth when Ben Millard got an RBI the hard way, taking a hit by pitch.
Helsel went 4-4 in the game and drove in two, while scoring once. Deao was 3-5 with four runs scored. Harrison Gerber added a pair of hits. Michael Mudd started for the Lions and went four and two thirds, while Tyler Jinks threw a scoreless three innings in relief and Austin Brown got the final out.
The Lions and Mavs will face-off again tomorrow with a double-header beginning at noon.
