Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern baseball team stayed perfect on the season as the Lions swept a double-header from visiting Minnesota-Crookston today, winning game one 12-0 and taking the second game 5-2. 

Southern (4-0) saw two dominant pitching performances from both starters today as Ryan Bates went five innings for the win in game one and Drew Noble threw six for the win in game two. Bates struck out five and walked none, allowing just four hits in the opener, while Nathan Strobel threw two innings of relief, striking out three. 

The Lions scored two runs in the second inning to go on top early as Beau Phillips drove in Robbe Ewing and Brandon Weller with a double. Southern added four more runs in the third, two on a home run from Dusty Harper and RBI singles from Logan Moon, as well as Brett Graham. 

The Lions would add six more in the sixth as 12 batters went to the plate in the inning. 

Matt Korte started for Minnesota-Crookston (0-4) in game one and Ryan Haggstrom and Cody Pamperin threw in relief. 

Noble went six solid innings in game two, striking out two and allowing just two runs. Matt Harvey threw two innings of relief, striking out two, while Stephen Vaughn struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his first save of the season. 

Southern scored a run in each of the first, second and fourth innings, before scoring two in the fifth. Harber doubled home Moon in the first, while Austin White singled home Zack Steadman in the second. Steadman added an RBI single in the fourth and he and Evin Nattick had RBIs in the fifth. 

Steadman went 3-4 in game two with two RBIs and a run scored, while Moon had two hits and two runs scored. Weller had a pair of hits in the game, while Natick and Ewing scored a run each. 

The Lions will be back in action next weekend when Southern jumps into MIAA play with a four-game series at Lincoln University.