Joplin, Mo. -- Matt Smith hit a grand slam and Tyler Sutherland drove in five as the No. 24 ranked Missouri Southern baseball team took out visiting Bemidji State today 14-6 at Warren Turner Field on the campus of Missouri Southern. 

Southern (3-0) scored two runs in the first, five in the third, a run in the fourth, five more in the fifth and a single run in the sixth to put the game away. 

Chris Hoffman went 4-5 in the game with four runs scored and two driven in, while Sutherland was 2-3 with 5 RBIs and a run scored. Smith had one hit, but it was a grand slam, the first of his career. Joe Paulino went 3-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Richie Gorski had a pair of runs scored. 

Zach Litchen started the game and went four innings, striking out five and walking just two, while allowing two runs on five hits. Conner Matson and Kyle McCulloch pitched an inning each, while Austyn Gooch threw two innings for the win. Trenton Moeller threw a perfect ninth, striking out a batter. 

Bemidji State (0-3) had four with two hits each as Logan Riedel drove in a pair. 

The Lions picked up a pair of runs in the first inning on RBIs from Sutherland and Hoffman. A sac fly from Sutherland preceded a grand slam from Smith in the third for a five-run frame. The Lions picked up a run in the fourth on another Sutherland sac fly and picked up five runs in the fifth. Sutherland and Paulino had two RBIs in the inning. 

The two teams will finish up the series tomorrow afternoon with a 2 pm first pitch from Turner Field.