Joplin, Mo. -- Missouri Southern senior designated hitter Jesse Rall hit for the cycle today as the 15th ranked Missouri Southern baseball team defeated visiting McKendree at Warren Turner Field. 

Rall had a home run, two triples, a double and a single in a 5-for-5 performance at the plate. He drove in five and scored four times. Brett Graham went 4-for-6 with three RBIs and two driven in. Richie Gorski had two RBIs and two driven in, while Tyler Sutherland drove in three and scored twice. Danny Biggs had two RBIs and a run scored, while Joe Paulino and Trever Burkdoll drove in a run each. Chris Hoffman drove in a run and scored three times.

The Lions (6-0) picked up another strong starting performance from Payton Walker as he went five innings, striking out six and walking none, scattering three hits and allowing no runs. The six strikeouts give him 200 in his career, just seven from becoming the all-time strikeout king at MSSU. Conner Mattson, Trenton Moeller, Sean Goostree and Hunter Harrison all threw an inning in relief. 

McKendree (0-1) got a pair of hits from Luke Johnson and Matt Walsh.

The Lions started the scoring in the first with Richie Gorski leading off with his first home run of the season. Graham, Biggs and Burkdoll had RBIs in the inning as Southern scored six in the first. 

The Lions picked right back up with eight more in the second. Rall drove in Hoffman and Sutherland added a two-run home run, as well. Bggs, Gorski and Rall added RBIs in the inning. 

Southern scored two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings. Paulino and Graham had RBIs in the fourth and Rall homered in the fifth. 

McKendree scroed a single run each in the seventh and ninth innings. 

The two teams will be back in action tomorrow afternoon. First pitch from Turner Field is slated for 2 pm.