CANYON, Texas – Noah Davis homered and starter Brayden Ross struck out a career-high 10 as University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Baseball evened its Lone Star Conference opening round series with West Texas A&M with a 10-4 win Saturday.

Davis got the Lions off to a fast start by hitting a solo home run in top of the first and then drove in another run on a double in the third as the Lions took a 2-0 lead.

The double started a five-run inning for the Lions, as Nico Patrick followed with an RBI single and Cayden Burch with a two-run triple to right center. Burch then scored on a wild pitch as the Lions took a 6-0 lead to the bottom of the third.

West Texas answered with a four-run inning of their own, but Ross settled back into his groove with four more scoreless innings. He allowed four runs over seven innings on seven hits while striking out 10.

The Lions added some insurance runs over the final three frames, with Davis collecting his third RBI on a single in the seventh. Ryan Riggs delivered a sac fly in the eighth and Michael Brinton drove in a pair in the ninth on a double.

With the Lions leading 7-4 in the seventh, the Buffaloes singled to right with a runner on second when Brinton fired it home for an outfield assist to end the inning.

Jakob Petross tossed two scoreless frames to close out the game. WT loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but Petross got a pair of fly balls to get out of the inning with no runs allowed.

Davis, Brinton and Patrick had seven of the Lions' nine hits, with Davis going 3-for-4 with a homer, double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Burch, Brandon Ulmer and Jordon Helm all scored two runs apiece.

The teams will meet Sunday at 1 p.m. for a winner-take-all game three.