JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln baseball team rallied to tie the game after six innings, but Central Missouri took advantage of a big seventh frame to earn a 13-5 win over the Blue Tigers on Sunday (April 3).

The Mules took an early 4-0 lead after the top of the first, but the Blue Tigers cut the deficit to three in the bottom half of the frame with a solo homerun by Laban Petzoldt. Another homer, this one by Mason Price, pulled LU to within two after the second inning, and a sacrifice bunt by Mike Million allowed Nick Lovell to score in the third to bring Lincoln to within one of Central Missouri.

In the fifth inning, Central Missouri (19-8, 17-3 MIAA) regained a two-run advantage after plating a run off a Blue Tiger error. After getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth, Lincoln (1-29, 0-20 MIAA) rallied in the bottom of the frame, with Kaleb Davis hitting a two-run homer to tie the game at 5-5.

Those ended up being the final runs of the weekend for LU, however, as Central Missouri responded with five runs on three hits and a pair of errors in the top of the seventh. Lincoln stranded a base runner in each of its three remaining frames, but was not able to close the gap any further.

Jackson Walker led LU with two hits, and Million, Lovell and Dillon Walker each finished with one. Cameron Massman and Kolton Clark each struck out a pair of UCM batters, and Davis tallied nine putouts while Lovell recorded six, Jackson Walker added five and Million finished with four. Petzoldt led the Blue Tigers with four assists while Lovell was next with two.

The Blue Tigers being a four-game road swing on Tuesday (April 5) when Lincoln travels to Bolivar, Mo. for a 3:00 p.m. CDT game against Southwest Baptist.