Edmond, Okla. – The Missouri Southern baseball team picked up a series-opening win on the road tonight, defeating Central Oklahoma 5-2 at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
The Lions (13-8, 4-3 MIAA) got a solid start on the mound from Jacob Davis as he went six innings, striking out eight and allowing no earned runs and just two hits in six innings to move to 3-0 on the season. Ryan Paschal threw two innings and struck out two, while Laif Hultine picked up save No. 3 of the season, closing out the game in the ninth.
 
Jordan Fitzpatrick had a double and went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI, while Ryan Doran had two hits and two driven in. Clay Milas, Drew Davis and Tommy Stevenson had a hit and an RBI, while Henry Kusiak and Treghan Parker had a hit each.
 
The Lions started the scoring in the first with an RBI single from Doran to score Fitzpatrick. Southern got RBI singles from Milas and Stevenson in the second, but the Bronchos (10-7, 4-3 MIAA) scored a pair of unearned runs in the second to get within a run (3-2).
 
Fitzpatrick doubled home Stevenson in the fifth and Doran drove in his second run of the game in the seventh, scoring Fitzpatrick to make it 5-2.
 
The two teams will be back at it tomorrow afternoon with a 3 pm first-pitch.