MARSHALL, Mo. - The Lincoln baseball team totaled 23 hits, including five home runs, in a 20-9 road win over Missouri Valley on Tuesday (March 10).

After being held off the board in the opening inning, the Blue Tigers responded in a big way in the second, starting with Easton Stuckenschneider singling into left field. The next two batters, Hunter Mitchell and Blythe Blakey, each homered, giving LU a 3-1 lead. Felix Marquez got the offense rolling again with a base hit before scoring on a double hit by Zane Hunter II. Andy Srebroski IV later drove in Hunter on LU's sixth hit of the inning.

Missouri Valley (0-16) trimmed the lead to one with three scores in the bottom of the second, but Lincoln (4-11) got right back to work at the plate. LU loaded the bases during the first three plate appearances, with Mitchell being issued a walk, Blakey hitting a single and Marquez getting hit by a pitch. That brought up Hunter, who hit a grand slam to increase Lincoln's lead to 9-4.

Lincoln got on the board again in the fourth inning when Tim Fleming led the frame off with a homer. In the fifth inning, Daren Walters-Ansell scored on an error and Nate Lucas came home on a hit from Stuckenschneider. The Blue Tigers padded their lead again later in the fifth as Blakey hit LU's second grand slam of the contest, bringing in Stuckenschneider, Mitchell and Fleming.

Chase Morris scored the 17th run of the day in the sixth inning, as he hit a triple and then came home on a single from Lucas. The offense kept going for the Blue Tigers in the seventh, beginning with Diego Silve driving in Payren Hinton and Aiden Streight on a liner into left field. Morris scored his second of the contest later in the seventh on a double from Brody Johns. 

Hunter and Blakey each finished with five RBI. Blakey led LU with four hits and Stuckenschneider tallied three. Hunter, Morris, Walters-Ansell, Mitchell and Marquez ended the afternoon with two hits apiece. Hinten also had a hit while, on the mound, Canon Feist, Carter Otto and Jonah Claborn each struck out Missouri Valley batters. Mitchell led the LU defense with eight putouts and Hunter provided four. Srebroski had a team-high four assists, Walters-Ansell finished with three and Hunter, Blakey and Ryan Lepper added two apiece. 

Lincoln returns home to host a four-game series against GLVC opponent Upper Iowa this weekend. The Blue Tigers and the Peacocks are scheduled to play a single game on Friday (March 13) at 4:00 p.m. CDT. On Saturday (March 14), the two teams will play a double-header beginning at 12:00 p.m. CDT. The series will conclude with one more contest on Sunday (March 15) at 12:00 p.m. CDT. All four games will be played at Vivion Field.