CLARKSVILLE, Ark. – Bret Leiferman and Grayson Lee each had a home run and combined for five RBIs, but the Concordia Texas baseball team fell late to Ozarks in a doubleheader on Friday.

The Tornados returned to conference play after back-to-back wins over non-conference foes Southwestern and Texas Lutheran.

In the first game of the day, it was a back-and-forth affair with four lead changes. Bret Leiferman had a pair of hits, scored twice and Grayson Lee went yard for his fourth home run of the season, but the Tornados came up short, falling 7-5.

Concordia Texas did not wait long to open the scoring. After back-to-back singles from Dalton Watts and Leiferman, the Tornados took advantage of a passed ball and a wild pitch, allowing both runners to score in the inning and take a 2-0 lead.

Ozarks responded in the bottom half of the inning with a three-run frame to retake the lead.

In the third, CTX used a two-out rally thanks to a Leiferman single and a Lee RBI double to level the game to 3-all.

Once again though, the Eagles, followed with a run of their own to go back in front 4-3.

The Tornados retook the lead after scoring a run in the fourth and adding another one in the sixth thanks to a Lee solo home run to make it 5-4.

In the bottom of the sixth, UO pushed across three runs on three hits to make it 7-5.

In their final at-bat, CTX loaded the bases due to a pair of walks and a hit by pitch, but were unable to tie it up as Kalen Moren flied out to end the game.

In the latter game of the day, Leiferman had another multi-hit game, including a home run, but the Tornados saw their lead dissipate late, falling 7-6.

Leiferman opened the scoring for CTX in the first, launching a solo shot over the right field wall.

The Tornados added to their lead with a run in the second and three more in the third inning.

In the third, Lee drove a two-run double into the gap to score Leiferman and Watts. Owen Hill followed with a sac fly to score Brandon Goynes and make it 5-1.

The Eagles responded with a three-run inning of their own in the fourth, cutting it to 5-4 after four frames.

In the sixth, Leiferman drove in his second run of the game with a RBI single to center, scoring Novak and push the lead back to a two-run advantage.

Ozarks though, staged another late inning comeback, scoring a run in the seventh and pulling ahead with two more runs in the eighth.

In the ninth, after two quick outs, Novak singled and reached second on an error. Watts followed with a walk, but CTX was unable to execute as Leiferman grounded out to end game and the Tornados fell 7-6.

Concordia Texas will look to salvage a game in the series finale on Saturday, facing the Eagles at noon in Clarksville, Ark.