PITTSBURG, Kansas – Missouri Southern rode the arm of MIAA pitcher of the year Zach Parish as the Lions picked up a 4-0 win over the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team in the opening round of the 2019 MIAA Tournament.

Parish improved to 9-1 on the year and lowered his season earned run average to 2.23. Parish struck out eight Bearcats and upped his season total to 134 strikeouts.

Northwest starter Max Spitzmiller pitched into the eighth inning as he fell to 3-7 on the year. Spitzmiller scattered seven hits and struck out seven Lion batters.

Northwest had scoring opportunities in the seventh and eighth frames but could not scratch across a run. In the seventh, Matt Gastner singled and stole second. Jay Hrdlicka drew a two-out walk, but Mondesi Gutierrez grounded out to end the threat.

The Bearcats looked to have something cooked up in the eighth following a leadoff walk by Logan Rycraft and a single through the left side from Peter Carlson. Calvin Rudolph could not put a sacrifice bunt down and eventually struck out. First-team all-MIAA pick Connor Quick then grounded into a double play to end the inning, however replays showed him clearly beating the throw to first.

Missouri Southern added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth to take a 4-0 lead.

Northwest (23-26 overall) will take on Lindenwood (27-24 overall) Friday at 9 a.m. in an elimination game. Lindenwood dropped a 3-0 decision to Central Oklahoma on Thursday.

NOTES: Prior to the first pitch, Quick received his first-team all-MIAA award from league commissioner Mike Racy … Quick had his 32-game on-base streak snapped as he went 0-for-4 … Northwest posted three hits in the game from Carlson, Rycraft and Gastner … Rycraft went 1-for-1 with two walks against Parish.

— Northwest Athletics —