JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Strong hitting in the third inning helped Fort Hays State break open a one-run game and hand the Lincoln baseball team a 12-5 loss on Friday (March 25).

A three-run homer gave Fort Hays State the early lead in the top of the first, but Lincoln came back in the bottom of the second. Alex Ludwick and Mason Price opened the frame with back-to-back doubles to pull LU to within two, and a pair of wild pitches later allowed Price to score. Trevor Schnieders later got on board via a walk and Zach Anderson tallied a single, but FHSU kept it a 3-2 game by the end of the inning.

FHSU hit its second three-run homer of the day in the third inning, and later added two more scores in that frame to take control of the contest with an 8-2 advantage. Lincoln faced an 11-2 hole before it got back on the board in the seventh, as a pair of fielding errors allowed Schnieders to score. Fort Hays State (12-14, 5-9 MIAA) would ultimately get back the run in the eighth, and Lincoln (1-24, 0-15 MIAA) closed the scoring in the bottom half of that frame with an RBI single from Price and a sacrifice fly by Schnieders.

Wyatt Ahart also had a hit on the evening while closer Daniel Castillo struck out five FHSU batters. The starter, Cody Stegemann, also notched a strikeout. Ludwick led LU's defense with six putouts and Mike Million and Kaleb Davis each contributed five. Dillon Walker provided a pair of assists.

The Blue Tigers return to LU Baseball Field on Saturday (March 26) to close the series by hosting Fort Hays State for a 1:00 p.m. CDT contest.