Edmond, Okla. -- The 11th ranked Missouri Southern Baseball team fell 11-9 today at Central Oklahoma as the two teams opened a four-game series at Simmons Field in Edmond. 

Southern (26-8, 17-4 MIAA) scored the game's first run in the second when Mitchell Osburn singled home Axel Johnson to put the Lions up 1-0 early on. 

Central Oklahoma (16-18, 11-13 MIAA) answered right back, however, as the Bronchos plated a run in the bottom half of the inning to tie it up. 

UCO added five more runs in the fourth and two in the fifth to go up 8-1 after five, but the Lions plated two in the top of the sixth to get back to within five (8-3) on a two-RBI single from Johnson scoring Jesse Rall and Chris Hoffman. 

The Bronchos added two more in the bottom of the sixth before the Lions broke out for four in the seventh and two in the eighth. 

Evin Natick scored the first run in the seventh on a ground out, before Davis singled home Richie Gorski. Tee Helsel dobuled to left center to score Davis, and Johnson added an RBI double scoring Helsel. 

Natick homered in the eighth and Davis drove home Gorski with a single, before UCO added another run in its half of the eighth. The Lions went in order in the ninth. 

Johnson went 2-4 with three RBIs, while Hoffman was 3-4 with a run scored. Davis went 2-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and two walks, while Natick, Helsel and Osburn drove in a run each. Natick scored twice, while Rall and Helsel scored a run each. 

Tyler Burgess started and suffered his first loss of the season to move to 3-1 on the year. He went four innings and struck out five, while walking one. Kyle McCulloch and Nick Pettus pitched in relief. 

The Lions and Bronchos will be back at it tomorrow with a double-header beginning at 1 pm.