JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln baseball team defeated Harris Stowe 11-1 in the second game of a double-header on Wednesday (March 18) to clinch its first series victory of 2026. The Blue Tigers previously swept the Hornets in February. After HSSU won Wednesday's opener, 7-4, LU finished with a 3-1 record against the Hornets this season.

Hunter Mitchell scored on a double hit by Aiden Boeckmann in the bottom of the second inning of game two to give Lincoln (6-16) an early 1-0 lead. Harris Stowe (1-11) tied the score in the top of the third on an RBI single and the score remained deadlocked until the bottom of the fourth. Easton Stuckenschneider reached on an error to begin that frame, then scored on a double hit by Mitchell. Later in the inning, Carson Erwin hit a home run that plated Mitchell and Tim Fleming to make it 5-1 Blue Tiger lead.

In the fifth inning, Chase Morris hit an infield single, stole second base, and then took third on a wild pitch. Stuckenschneider plated Morris on a sacrifice fly to give LU a five-run advantage. Later in the fifth, Fleming hit a double that allowed Mitchell to score from first base, increasing Lincoln's lead to 7-1.

Morris had another base hit in in the sixth inning with the bases loaded, driving in AJ Williams and beginning a four-run inning that allowed Lincoln to end the contest in seven innings. Stuckenschneider got another RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bags still full, bringing in Boeckmann for LU's second run of the frame. Daren Walters-Ansell came home on a sacrifice fly from Glenn Berhorst, and Fleming drove in Morris with a base hit down the left field line.

Fleming and Morris each had two hits, Erwin finished with three RBI and Mitchell scored three times. Brody Kleffner picked up the win on the mound with a five-inning, six-strikeout performance, and Ed Noy notched two more strikeouts as Lincoln's closer. Mitchell and Ty Ollison each finished with eight putouts. Morris led the Blue Tigers with four assists while Walters-Ansell added three.

In the early game, a pair of two-RBI singles in the top of the second allowed Harris Stowe to take a 4-0 lead. Four Hornet errors allowed Andy Srebroski IV to score Lincoln's first run of the day in the bottom of the third, but HSSU got the run back in the fourth on a sacrifice fly. 

The Blue Tigers pulled back within one in the bottom of the fifth, as Mitchell hit a home run that also plated Blythe Blakey and Erwin hit a solo shot over the left field fence. That was as close as LU would come, however, as the Hornets tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth for the 7-4 victory.

Walters-Ansell led LU with two hits in the opener while Mitchell, Erwin, Blakey and Nate Lucas tallied one apiece. Kooper Houvouras struck out two Hornet batters, Canon Feist fanned three and Fleming struck out one. Zane Hunter II led the Blue Tigers with six putouts while Jacob Schulte recorded five and Lucas contributed four. Walters-Ansell supplied four assists.

The Blue Tigers are off this weekend, but will host Drury for a four-game series the following weekend. The teams will meet on Friday, March 27, for a 4:00 p.m. CDT contest. On Saturday, March 28, LU and DU will play a double-header beginning at 12:00 p.m. CDT. The series will close on Sunday, March 29, with one more contest starting at 12:00 p.m. CDT.