KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Truman State scored early and held off a late rally by the Lincoln baseball team as the Blue Tigers fell, 5-4, in the first contest of a four-game series on Friday (April 25).

Easton Stuckenschneider and Brody Johns each hit two-run homers for LU while Canon Feist struck out four batters in seven innings of work. Carter Otto pitched the final frame and set down the side in order.

Truman State (10-30, 7-18 GLVC) used back-to-back doubles to bring in a run in the bottom of the first, then extended its advantage to 4-0 by scoring three unearned runs in the bottom of the second. The Bulldogs kept Lincoln (4-37, 2-23 GLVC) off the board until the top of the sixth, when Stuckenschneider cut the deficit in half with his home run. Ty Ollison, who got on base with a single and also notched a stolen base, also scored on Stuckenschneider's hit.

The Bulldogs scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth, as TSU opened the frame with a home run of its own. In the seventh inning, Lincoln pulled within one when Felix Marquez, who reached on a walk, and Johns both scored on LU's second homer of the afternoon. The Blue Tigers later put runners in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings, but Truman State managed to keep LU off the board to eke out the victory.

Stuckenschneider and Johns each finished with two hits while Ollison, Marquez, Jayden Little, Andy Sreboski IV and Isaiah Figueroa tallied one a piece. Ollison provided four putouts and a team-high four assists, Sreboski supplied three assists and Blythe Blakey added two. Little contributed six putouts and Figueroa was responsible for four.

Lincoln and Truman State will continue the series on Saturday (April 26) with a double-header. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CDT.