JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln baseball team scored on a walk-off double to beat Northwestern Iowa, 7-6, in the first game of a double-header on Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 25). The two teams split on Tuesday, with Northwestern Iowa taking the second contest, 19-4.

The Blue Tigers took a 5-2 advantage into the final inning, but Northwestern Iowa (3-3) mounted a furious rally to take the lead. Three singles led to a run coming across the plate, and the Raiders later tied the game on a two-RBI double. A throwing error resulted in one more run scoring, giving Northwestern Iowa its first lead of the afternoon.

Lincoln (2-8) proved resilient, however, as Miguel Padron reached on a fielder's choice and Andy Sreboski IV got on board with a walk. That brought up Jayden Little, who hit a double into right field that plated both Padron and Sreboski, giving the Blue Tigers a 7-6 victory. Ed Noy struck out four in 6.2 innings of work while Jacob Claborn notched a strikeout while earning the win on the mound.

After forcing out the first three batters of the game, Lincoln got its offense going in the bottom of the first, as Padron was hit by a pitch, took second on a base hit by Little and later scored on a throwing error. Jacob Schulte reached base via balls and both he and Little reached the plate on a double by Brody Johns. Felix Marquez traded places with Johns in the ensuing at-bat, hitting a ground rule double to make it a 4-0 lead for the Blue Tigers.

A two-run homer in the top of the fourth cut LU's lead in half, but that was the only hit the Raiders recorded prior to the final inning. Lincoln, meanwhile, added to its lead in the bottom of the fifth when Padron hit a double, took third on a single from Sreboski and returned to the plate on a ground out by Little. 

Defensively, Little led LU with six putouts while Ty Ollison and Johns each had two. Johns in particular made a pair of remarkable diving catches in right field to keep Lincoln on top. Sreboski turned four assists and Isaiah Figueroa was credited with two.

In the second game of the afternoon, Northwestern Iowa scored 19 runs on 17 hits while shutting out the Blue Tigers in six of the contest's seven innings. The exception was the bottom of the fifth, which started with Jared Fulghem reaching on an error. Sreboski hit a double and Pedron followed by knocking the ball towards third. Eschewing the out at second, the baseman threw to the plate, but Fulghem evaded the catcher for LU's first run of the game. A ground rule double by Little drove in Sreboski, and Little and Padron later scored on a base hit by Christian Harris.

Padron had two hits in the night cap while Little, Harris, Sreboski and Ryan Lepper finished with one apiece. Dave Watkins III struck out two as LU's opener and Drake Davidson fanned two as the closer while reliever Canon Feist also had a strikeout. Little tallied a team-high nine putouts. Figueroa finished with three assists while Lepper and Sreboski each had two.

Lincoln will be back in Vivion Field on Sunday (March 2) to host Rockhurst in a 12:00 p.m. CST non-conference double-header.