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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Joplin, Mo. - CJ Maffei threw a seven-inning complete game to lead the Lions to an 8-2 win in the opener against the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, but the Bulldogs came back to win the nightcap 7-4 to salvage a game in the four-game set. The Lions took three of four from the Bulldogs overall. The Lions got on the board first in the opener when Kenny Hart singled and Jacob Taylor doubled to lead off the second inning. Michael Zurmehly then drove home Hart for the Lions' first run of the game. Trent Owens put the Lions up 3-0 with a two-run double in the fourth that plated Taylor and Derek Ezell. Southern went up by five runs by scoring two more in the fifth as Zach Caldwell and Justin Beal began the inning with singles and Caldwell eventually scoring on an error. Beal came home with the Lions' fifth run on an infield single by Taylor. The Bulldogs' lone tallies came in the sixth when Orry Engebretsen started the inning with a walk, went to third on a double by Bryan Denisen and then scored on a wild pitch. Denison then crossed the plate on an RBI groundout by Will Dahlgren. Caldwell hit a two-run triple in the bottom half of the inning and then scored on a wild pitch to help the Lions tack on three insurance runs. Maffei was outstanding in a winning effort for the Lions, allowing only two runs on three hits and striking out six. The next game didn't start out so good for the Lions, as the Bulldogs scored a run in the first and Engebretsen nailed a two-run double as part of a three-run second inning for a 4-0 lead. Skyler Rawlins got the Lions (6-5) going in the third by leading-off with a single and then scoring on a triple from Caldwell. Caldwell then scored on an RBI groundout by Ezell that made it a 4-2 game. The Bulldogs (3-4) added a run in the fourth before the Lions came within a run on RBI singles by Juan Hernandez and Caldwell in the bottom of the inning. Josh Threlkeld and David Olson each hit solo homers in the fifth and seventh innings that added to the Bulldog lead. The Lions had ample scoring opportunities, but stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and then left two runners aboard in the sixth. Southern will play again tomorrow (Feb. 24) with a single game at Central Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. in Edmond, Okla.
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