EDMOND, Okla. – SWOSU Baseball opened the season on Friday night at the Edmond First Pitch Classic, dropping a 7-5 contest to Missouri Southern at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
The Bulldogs got seven hits in the game, including multi-hit games from Alex Bedard and Robert Perea, but the batters were also plagued with 15 strikeouts and left six runners on base. Missouri Southern had 13 hits in the game while stranding eight runners.
 
After falling down 2-0 in the second inning, SWOSU knotted the score in the bottom half of the second when a two-run double from Robert Perea scored Sawyer Toole and Braden Estraca. MSSU scored four runs on five hits in the third inning to regain control, but the Dawgs got back within one on a two-run triple from Bedard that scored Perea and Estraca to make it 6-5.
 
Southern got one run back in the fifth, extending the lead to 7-5, which proved to be the final margin. SWOSU's best chance in the final three innings came in the seventh as they had runners at the corners with one out, but a strikeout and fly out ended the threat.
 
Cooper Cantwell (0-1) took the loss after allowing nine hits and six runs – five earned – in three innings of work. Gabe Jacobo came on in relief and struck out seven batters in four innings before Jesse Lee pitched the final two innings without allowing a hit.
 
SWOSU (0-1) returns to action in Edmond on Saturday night, taking on Pittsburg State at 7:00 pm.