Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern baseball team picked up a split on day one of the 2017 MIAA Baseball Tournament, defeating No. 1 seed and 11th-ranked Emporia State 2-1 in the opener, but falling to fifth-seeded Central Oklahoma 2-1 in the nightcap. 

Southern (27-25) got a stellar pitching performance from both pitchers today with Colin Chandler getting the win in game one. Chandler went the distance and allowed just one run on six hits and struck out three to move to 6-1 on the season. 

Offensively, the Lions got two hits each from Danny Biggs, Tyler Sutherland and Brett Graham. Mike Million had a hit, as well. Sutherland and Alec Alvarez had a run each, while Max Hogan and Brett Graham had an RBI. 

ESU (40-10) got two hits from Levi Ashmore. 

The Hornets scored a run in the first on an RBI from Mason Brown to go up 1-0. 

That score stayed the same until the 7th when Hogan doubled home Alvarez to tie it up. Graham then singled to left-center to score Sutherland in the eighth for the go-ahead run. 

In game two, Sean Goostree went all nine innings, striking out seven and walking none, but got the hard-luck loss to move to 4-3 on the season. Dave Prost and Joe Paulino had two hits each with Prost drving in a run. Sutherland scored the lone run. 

UCO (32-17-1) scored two runs in the seventh to go up 2-0 and the Lions added Prost's RBI in the ninth, driving in Sutherland for the Lions' lone run. 

Southern will be back in action tomorrow afternoon playing the winner of the Emporia State/Central Missouri game at 4 pm.