FORT SMITH, Ark. – St. Edward's baseball put together seven runs on 18 hits to overwhelm the Arkansas Fort Smith Lions with a 7-2 win to open the series. 

Arkansas Fort Smith's Michael Brinton drove in the Lions' two runs with an RBI double in the first and a solo blast to right-center in the sixth. 

St. Edward's starting pitcher WESLEY GAFFORD took care of business everywhere else, going seven innings with seven strikeouts and no walk with five hits surrendered to earn the victory. AUSTIN ESSEX and KEVIN SKWERES each pitched a scoreless inning in relief, with Essex striking out two. 

The Hilltoppers hit the Lions for single runs in the second, fifth, and sixth innings before exploding for four in the eighth to put the game away for good. 

WESTON SYMES put St. Edward's on the scoreboard in the second with an RBI single to left, then LANCE LITTLE drove in TREVOR SEBEK with a single through the left side in the fifth, and Sebek added a run with a groundout to first in the sixth, scoring MATTHEW GILES. 

HUNTER CONNER and CONNOR COX hit RBI singles in the eighth, and Little drove in two more with a two-RBI double in the eighth, scoring Cox and Sebek. 

Conner was 4-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Little led St. Edward's with three RBI on two hits. Giles had three hits and two runs scored. Cox, CULLEN AINSWORTH, LUKE JOHNSON, and Symes had two hits each. 

St. Edward's improves to 20-6 with an 18-6 conference record. St. Edward's and Arkansas Fort Smith will play in a doubleheader tomorrow.