Joplin, Mo. -- The 21st ranked Missouri Southern Baseball team took the series finale today by defeating 19th ranked Emporia State 5-3 on a sun-drenched Warren Turner Field. 

The Lions (13-4, 5-4 MIAA) picked up a strong pitching performance from Zach Litchen as the lefty went seven innings, striking out eight and scattering seven hits, while allowing just two earned runs to move his record to 3-0 on the season. Conner Matson and Austin Aspegren threw an inning each, while Aspegren picked up save No. 1 on the season. 

Jesse Rall went 2-for-4 on the day with two RBIs and a run scored, adding in his sixth home run of the season. Tyler Sutherland was 2-for-4 as well with a run and an RBI. Brett Graham had a hit and two runs scored, while Richie Gorski, Jackson Cain, Chris Hoffman and Hayden Steele all had a hit each. Cain and Hoffman had an RBI each.

The Lions scored a run each in the second and third innings. Graham scored in the second on an RBI single from Hoffman and Rall laced a single up the middle in the third to score Gorski. 

After Emporia (14-5, 7-2 MIAA) had tied the score up at two in the top of the sixth, Rall untied the game with his sixth home run of the season to left center. The Lions added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on RBIs from Sutherland and Cain and Emporia threatened in the ninth before Aspegren shut the Hornets down. 

The Lions will be back in action this weekend with a three-game series at Missouri Western on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.