Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern baseball team is off to the best start in team history as the Lions completed the four-game sweep of Fort Hays State, winning game one 7-2 and the nightcap 2-1. 

Southern (12-0, 8-0 MIAA) beats the previous best start to a season of 11-0 that the team set in 2012. Drew Noble picked up his third win of the season in game one, while Ryan Bates moved to 2-0 with a win in game two. 

The Lions started things off with three runs in the first inning of game one. Robbe Ewing tripled down the left field line scoring both Logan Moon and Mitchell Osburn. Moon had an RBI single earlier in the inning, scoring Jared Lupo.

Southern scored another run in the second on an RBI single from Osburn, scoring Evin Natick. The Lions scored a run in the fourth and two in the fifth to put the game away. 

Noble started and went five innings, striking out four and walking just one, while scattering four hits and just two earned runs. Stephen Vaughn pitched the final two innings and struck out four. 

Osburn went 3-4 with a run and two RBIs, while Lupo went 2-3 with a run scored. Ewing drove in two, while seven different Lions scored a run. 

Bates started game two and went seven innings, striking out five and walking none. He allowed just one earned run. Vaughn threw the final two innings and picked up save number three on the season, striking out two and walking none. 

The Lions scored a run in the first on an RBI single from Tee Helsel. They added what would be the go-ahead run in the fourth on a sac fly RBI from Zack Steadman, scoring Brandon Weller. 

Fort Hays (3-8, 2-6 MIAA) scored its lone run in the sixth and despite having two runners reach second in the final two innings, Vaughn shut down the Tigers. 

Helsel went 2-2 with a run driven in, while Steadman had the other RBI. Lupo and Weller scored each, while Weller and Natick had two of the Lions four hits in the game. 

Southern will travel to Rolla, Mo. this Wednesday as the Lions will go out of conference for a 2 pm single, nine-inning game.