LAKELAND, Fla. - The Mount Mercy University baseball team opened the 2015 season Monday by dropping a pair of tight games to 13th-ranked Southeastern University in an NAIA twinbill in Lakeland, Fla.

Southeastern pushed across a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to take the opener in extra innings, 6-5. Southeastern took the second game, 9-6.

Jack Dahm made his debut as Mount Mercy's new head coach in the doubleheader.

Christian Knox went 3-for-8 in the doubleheader for Mount Mercy (0-2) and drove in four runs.

Alex Hayden was the opening-day starter for the Mustangs in Game 1. He allowed two runs in four innings and received a no-decision.

Southeastern jumped to a 5-0 lead after three innings of the nightcap. Mount Mercy pulled within 6-5 in the top of the fifth, but Southeastern scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth and added an insurance tally in the sixth for a 9-5 lead.

The same teams meet Tuesday for a single game.

GAME 1

MOUNT MERCY (5): Williams, cf, 2 0 0 0, Holmes, ss, 2 0 1 1, Bell, lf, 4 0 0 0, Malsam, p, 0 0 0 0, Lloyd, p, 0 0 0 0, Haney, 1b, 2 1 0 0, Lizarraga, c, 4 1 1 0, Czerwiec, 2b, 4 1 1 1, Daugherty, dh, 2 0 1 0, Knox, rf, 4 0 1 2, Darichuk, 3b, 2 1 0 0, Hayden, p, 0 0 0 0, Badillo, lf, 1 1 0 0. Totals 27 5 5 4.

SOUTHEASTERN (6): McCollin, lf, 3 1 2 1, Glessner, cf, 3 1 0 0, Anderson 1 0 0 1, Hoffner, 3b, 4 0 1 2, Martin, 1b, 3 0 1 0, Ferrante, c, 4 0 1 0, Ducote 0 1 0 0, DeArmas, 2b, 4 1 2 1, Toder 0 0 0 0, Weeks 3 0 1 0, Bonner 0 1 0 0, Cherry 1 0 0 0, Sheaks 3 0 1 1, Kinney 0 1 0 0, Diaz 3 0 1 0. Totals 32 6 10 6

Mount Mercy      001 004 00 - 5 5 1
Southeastern     100 111 11 - 6 10 2

Hayden, Bell (5), Malsam (6), Lloyd (8) and Lizarraga. Goff, Ruppenthal (6) and Ferranto. W - Ruppenthal. L - Lloyd.

GAME 2

MOUNT MERCY (6): Williams, cf, 4 1 3 0, Balda, ss, 1 1 0 0, Darichuk, 3b, 1 0 0 0, Badillo, lf, 4 1 1 0, Czerwiec, 3b, 3 2 0 1, Jourdan, c, 1 0 0 1, Lizarraga, c, 1 1 1 0, Knox, rf, 4 0 2 2, Larson, 1b, 1 0 0 0, Barrett, ph, 0 0 0 0, Haney, 1b, 2 0 1 1, Warwick, dh, 1 0 0 1, Hayden, dh, 2 0 0 0, Dahm, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Holmes, ss, 1 0 0 0. Totals 28 6 8 6.

SOUTHEASTERN (9): McCollin, lf, 3 1 0 0, glessner, cf, 2 1 1 1, Hoffner, 3b, 4 0 0 0, Martin, 1b, 4 0 1 1, Weeks, dh, 3 2 2 1, DeArmas, 2b, 3 2 2 0, Diaz, ss, 2 1 2 4, Sheaks, rf, 3 0 0 0, Simpson, c, 2 0 1 0, Bonner 1 2 0 0, Rideout 0 0 0 0, Jameson 0 0 0 0, Egert 0 0 0 0, Matos, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 27 9 9 7.

Mount Mercy     000 230 1 - 6 8 4
Southeastern    113 121 x - 9 9 0

Schwennen, Flaherty (4) and Lizarraga, Jourdan. Rideout, Jameson (5), Egert (6), Matos (7) and Simpson. W - Rideout. L - Schwennen. S - Matos.