Joplin, Mo. -- The 16th ranked Missouri Southern baseball team split a double-header today with visiting Pittsburg State, winning game one 5-3, but falling 6-3 in the nightcap. 

With the split, Southern (33-10) guarantees the State Farm Trophy Series point against the Gorillas as PSU (17-26) can't catch the Lions in the MIAA standings. The point, Southern's sixth, guarantees at least a tie in the overall Trophy Series standings and the tiebreaker is the best record in the sports of basketball and football and the Lions own the tie breaker with wins in both men's and women's basketball. 

Pitt scored a run in the first inning of game one, but the Lions answered back with three in the bottom half of the inning. Richie Gorski had a one-out single and Chris Hoffman nailed his eighth home run of the season to left field. Jesse Rall followed that up with a home run of his own, his 13th of the season, this one to right center. 

Gorski added a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Jacob Bryant in the second to put the Lions up 4-1. 

After the Gorillas scored two in the top of the sixth, the Lions answered back with a run in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI double from Mitchell Osburn, scoring Axel Johnson. 

Hoffman went 2-3 in the game with two RBIs and a run scored. Osburn was 2-2 and Bryant was 2-3 with a run scored, while Evin Natick, Gorski, Rall, Jon Davis, and Johnson had a hit each. 

Matt Harvey started and went five and two thirds of an inning to move to 4-2 on the season. Kanon Hoover went one and a third to earn his fourth save. 

Pitt scored in bunches in game two to put the game away. The Gorillas scored two runs in the second and added a pair in the fourth to go up 5-0, before the Lions added three in their half of the fourth. 

With the bases loaded, Matt Smith knocked a double to the wall in right center, clearing the bases and scoring Robbe Ewing, Bryant and Johnson. 

PSU added a run in the fifth as the Lions' bats were quieted from then out. 

Southern had single hits from Davis, Hoffman, Bryant and Smith in the game, with Smith driving in three. 

Kyle McCulloch started and went four innings, while Sean Goostree threw an inning and Nick Pettus finished out the final two innings. 

The Lions will finish out the regular season this weekend with a four-game series at Northeastern State.