EDMOND, Okla. – SWOSU Baseball spotted Emporia seven runs before finally putting together a four-run eighth inning, but the deficit was too large to overcome and the Dawgs dropped Sunday's contest 7-4 to conclude the Edmond First Pitch Classic.

The Hornets got to Bulldog starting pitcher Chris Goldston early with a pair of runs in the first inning and four more in the second to jump ahead 6-0 in the early going.

Jackson Phillips, whose opening day start was spoiled after the game was rescheduled on Friday, returned to the mound in relief of Goldston and put together a solid outing to get the game back manageable. He threw 4.1 innings and allowed just one run while striking out seven and walking only one.

Patrick Babcock and Jay Greco bridged the game from the seventh inning on and did not allow ESU to score any additional runs, which in turn allowed the Bulldogs to make one final run at the deficit. And they did just that.

Trailing 7-0, SWOSU sent nine hitters to the plate in the eighth inning and scored four runs in the process. Markus Coronado got things going with a leadoff single, followed directly by another single by Alec Worden. After some pitching blunders from Emporia that included walks, wild pitches, and hit by pitches, the Dawgs had scored two runs and got two more off the bat of Reece Burke with a two-out, two RBI single.

The Hornets finally got out of the threat in the eighth and locked things down in the ninth to put the game to bed. Final, 7-4, bad guys.

Geoff Marlow and Worden finished the weekend with a team leading three hits apiece. All three of Marlow's hits went for extra bases, including two doubles Sunday against Emporia.

SWOSU will look to brush off a slow start to the season with a four-game home series with Adams State beginning on Friday, February 10.