LEBANON, Ill. - The Lincoln baseball team held the lead entering the bottom of the sixth, but a big offensive frame helped McKendree rally for a 12-5 win over the Blue Tigers on Friday (April 17).

Jayden Little had two hits for LU, including a solo home run in the top of the second that gave the Blue Tigers an early 1-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Easton Stuckenschneider hit a lead-off single, took second on a wild pitch, and then scored on Little's second hit of the afternoon.

McKendree (15-23, 7-13 GLVC) hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Blue Tiger lead in half, but LU got that score back in the fifth. Brody Johns was issued a walk and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Aidan Streight. Andy Srebroski IV later drove Johns home on an outfield single to make it a 3-1 ballgame in favor of Lincoln (6-30, 0-21 GLVC).

That score held until the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Bearcats led the frame off with a home run, one of five hits in the frame for McKendree. The Bearcats ended up scoring seven runs in the sixth for an 8-3 lead they would never relinquish. Lincoln's other two runs came in the top of the ninth, when Daren Walters-Ansell hit a home run that also plated Blythe Blakey.

Blakey had two hits on Friday while Streight, Srebroski, Walters-Ansell and Stuckenschneider each had one. Canon Feist pitched a gem through the first five innings, striking out nine McKendree batters. Kris Haley also had a pair of strikeouts for the Blue Tigers. Stuckenschneider led LU with 11 putouts and Jacob Schulte was next with four. Walters-Ansell contributed two assists.

Lincoln remains in Lebanon to play a double-header against McKendree on Saturday (April 18), with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CDT.