BOLIVAR, Mo. - The Lincoln baseball team tallied 17 hits and took advantage of four Southwest Baptist errors as the Blue Tigers beat the Bearcats, 14-12, in the second game of a double-header on Monday (April 7). SBU took the opener, 5-2, meaning the two teams split the season series, with each winning two contests.

Jayden Little got the offense going in LU's win, hitting a triple before scoring on a wild pitch. Miguel Padron reached on one double and returned home on another double, this one hit by Isaiah Figueroa, giving Lincoln (4-28, 2-14 GLVC) a 2-0 advantage after the top of the first.

In the second inning, Chase Morris hit a lead-off single, Quentin Jenkins was hit by a pitch and Andy Sreboski IV laid down a perfect bunt for a base hit, loading the bases for the Blue Tigers. An error allowed both Morris and Jenkins to score, and Sreboski came home on Padron's second hit of the afternoon. Figueroa later hit the ball far enough into the outfield to allow Little and Padron to score, making it a 7-0 contest in favor of Lincoln.

Southwest Baptist (14-20, 7-9 GLVC) responded in a big way, plating five runs in the bottom of the second to cut its deficit back down to two. The 7-5 score would stand until the top of the sixth, when Little scored for the third time in the game on a double hit by Easton Stuckenschneider. Later in the frame, Stuckenschneider came home on a hit by Figueroa, and Figueroa later capitalized on an SBU error to return home, making it a 10-5 ballgame.

Lincoln was able to pad its lead in the seventh inning, as another double by Padron drove in both Sreboski and Little to push the LU lead up to 12-5. A base hit by Blythe Blakey plated Padron, and Figueroa later scored on a ground out from Felix Marquez. That made the score 14-5, and Lincoln remained on top, even as the Bearcats attempted to rally in the later frames.

Figueroa and Padron each had four hits, with Figueroa tallying five RBI, and Sreboski finished with three hits while Little and Blakey added two apiece. Ryan Lepper struck out five SBU batters while the game's starter, Jacob Claborn, fanned one. Ty Ollison picked up a save. Defensively, Little recorded 10 putouts, Stuckenschneider had six and Padron and Jenkins each tallied four. Sreboski led LU with four assists and Morris provided three.

In Monday's opener, Southwest Baptist scored in the bottom of the first inning and later drove in three more runs, including two on a homer in the bottom of the third. An error allowed Morris to score LU's first run of the day in the top of the fourth, and the Blue Tigers later closed the gap to 4-2 when Padron hit a solo home run in the sixth. A sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the sixth allowed SBU to seal its victory.

Sreboski went 3-for-4 at the plate, Padron finished with two hits and Stuckenschneider supplied one. Jacob Zahner pitched the complete game, striking out four. Ollison had five putouts, Padron was next with four and Little recorded three. Zahner had two assists while Sreboski and Brody Johns each had one.

Lincoln will be back at Vivion Field in Jefferson City, Mo. next weekend to host a four-game series against William Jewell. The teams open the series on Friday (April 11) in a 4:00 p.m. CDT battle. The teams will then play a double-header on Saturday (April 12), with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CDT, before closing the series on Sunday (April 13) in another 12:00 p.m. CDT contest.