LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Five two-out runs in the ninth lifted SIUE baseball to a comeback win Friday in the opener of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Little Rock.

With the win, the Cougars regained sole possession of first place in the OVC at 11-5. SIUE is 18-21 overall. Little Rock fell to 7-8 in the league and 18-23 overall.

Trailing 7-4 with two outs and the bases empty, Gage Franck pitch hit and drew a walk. Daniel Gierer reached on an infield hit and Mack Mitchell doubled to drive in Franck. Chase Bloomer walked to load the bases. Following a pitching change, Ryan Niedzwiedz put SIUE on top with a three-run hit to center. Johsua Heyder drove home Niedzwiedz to push the lead to two.

Little Rock scored twice in the eighth inning to take a 7-4 lead.

Until the ninth, SIUE had scored four times on four solo home runs. Mitchell and Bloomer both went deep in the third inning. Mitchell hit his second in the sixth inning and Niedzwiedz left the yard in the eighth inning.

Mitchell and Niedzwiedz each had three hits for the Cougars, who outhit Little Rock 10-9. Bloomer was 2-4. 

Joseph Martin (1-0) scored the win despite allowing a pair of runs in the eighth. Tyler Davis nailed down his fifth save with a scoreless ninth, including two strikeouts.

Liam McKillop tossed three scoreless innings in relief, allowing just a single hit and striking out two. Tim Teixeira threw the first four innings. He allowed five runs and struck out four.

Blake Van Cleve (2-3) surrendered all five runs in the ninth. He pitched 2 2/3 innings in total.

Ryan Geck was 2-5 to lead Little Rock at the plate.

Game two of the series is Saturday. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.