Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern baseball team scored eight runs over the fifth and sixth innings and the Lions took out visiting Lincoln University 13-5 today at Warren Turner Field. 

The Lions (30-16, 20-15 MIAA) also have claimed a spot in the 2016 MIAA Baseball Tournament which will be held in two weeks at Lindenwood University. 

Trever Burkdoll went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the game. Matt Smith went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in, including his eighth home run of the season. Richie Gorski went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Chris Hoffman had two hits, a run and an RBI, extending his hit streak to 18. Jacob Bryant scored twice and drove in a run, while Jackson Cain scored three times with a hit and an RBI. Jesse Rall scored twice and drove in a run, extending his streak of games reaching safely to 74-straight. Kyle Smith nailed a long double off the right field wall driving in a run, while scoring later himself. 

Cody Hutchinson started and went seven innings, striking out three and walking none, while allowing three runs. Austin Aspegren, Derek Mann, Matt Harvey and Trenton Moeller threw the final three innings in relief. 

Lincoln (1-44, 0-35 MIAA) had a pair of hits each from Mike Million, Mason Price and Jackson Walker. 

Lincoln got on top 3-0 after the top of the second, before the Lions got a run on Burkdoll's RBI single, scoring Matt Smith. The Lions scored four runs in the fifth when Bryant started the inning with a double to left center. Hoffman singled to center to score Bryant and moved up on a stolen base. After a walk to Rall, Cain reached on an error, loading the bases. Hayden Steele walked to drive in a run, and Gorski knocked a two-run single to right, scoring Cain and Rall. 

Southern plated four more in the sixth and Bryant started things again, this time walking to lead off the inning. Hoffman and Sutherland walked behind Bryant to load the bases. Jesse Rall hit a sacrifice fly to score Bryant and Cain doubled to score Sutherland. Matt Smith then homered, scoring Cain. 

An RBI double from Burkdoll in the seventh scored another run and Lincoln answered back with a run of its own in the eighth. The Lions put away the game with three more runs int he eighth. Rall and Cain walked to start the inning and Kyle Smith doubled off the left-field wall, scoring both runners. Bryant reached on a fielder's choice later in the inning to score Kyle Smith. 

Lincoln added a run in the ninth before the Lions' pitchers could close it out. 

The two teams will be back in action tomorrow afternoon. First pitch from Turner Field is slated for 1 pm.