JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Mike Million hit a two-run homer, but the Lincoln baseball team fell to Central Oklahoma, 18-6, on Friday afternoon (April 15).

Million's homerun came in Lincoln's second at-bat of the game. After Dillon Walker led the frame off with a walk, Million belted a pitch over the centerfield wall to give the Blue Tigers their first two runs of the day. The Blue Tigers had the chance to add some more runs to the board, as Alex Ludwick followed the homer with a base hit and ultimately reached third, but a strikeout held LU to just the two scores.

Central Oklahoma (21-15, 13-12 MIAA) had a big first inning, hitting two homeruns en route to an early 8-0 advantage. Lincoln (1-35, 0-26 MIAA) stiffened up defensively for the next few frames, keeping the Bronchos off the board in both the second and third innings.

In the bottom of the third, Lincoln took advantage of a Broncho miscue to put two more runs on the board. Walker led the inning off with a single, and advanced to second after Million was issued a walk. Mason Price then knocked a pitch into right field to bring in Walker. The fielder mishandled the ball while picking it up off the ground, and Million took advantage, rounding third and heading home to cut LU's deficit down to four.

A lead-off double helped UCO get back those two runs in the top of the fourth, but Lincoln responded in the bottom half of the frame with Zach Anderson scoring off another single from Walker. Anderson initially got on board with a base hit, and moved into scoring position on a single from Nick Lovell.

That score pulled Lincoln to within 10-5 of the Bronchos, but Central Oklahoma had one more big inning left in its tank. UCO scored six runs on six hits in the top of the fifth to re-take control of the game. The Bronchos then added two more scores in the seventh before Lincoln finally got back on the board with Million scoring on a double by Mason Price.

Cody Stegemann, Caleb Thomas and Tyler Roberts each notched one strikeout apiece on the mound for Lincoln. Kaleb Davis led the defense with seven putouts while Walker tallied four to go with four assists. Ludwick and Lovell finished with three putouts apiece, with Lovell and Stegemann each also recording three assists.

The Blue Tigers will return to LU Baseball Field on Saturday (April 16) to continue the season series with Central Oklahoma with a 1:00 p.m. CDT contest.