KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln baseball team held an early lead in the first game of its double-header against Rockhurst, but the Hawks rallied to win, 12-5, on Friday (April 3). Rockhurst also won the second game of the twinbill, 14-2.

Easton Stuckenschneider hit a single through the left side of the RU defense to plate Daren Walters-Ansell in the first inning of game one. A fielding error allowed Jayden Little to come home, and Stuckenschneider scored on a base hit from Jacob Schulte to give LU a 3-0 lead entering the bottom of the opening frame. 

The Blue Tigers stranded a Hawk runner on second in the bottom of the second and got a three-up, three-down defensive frame in the bottom of the second. In the third, however, Rockhurst (22-10, 11-9 GLVC) scored four runs on five hits to take a lead it would not relinquish. RU tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the fourth and eventually built a 10-3 lead before the Blue Tigers got back on the board in the sixth inning when Blythe Blakey's sacrifice fly scored Mitchell.

A double hit by Little scored Andy Srebroski IV in the top of the seventh to close out the scoring in game one for Lincoln (6-24, 0-16 GLVC). Srebroski, Little, Stuckenschneider, Mitchell, Blakey and Schulte each had hits for the Blue Tigers. On the mound, Carter Otto struck out four Hawk batters, Ed Noy fanned three and Ryan Lepper struck out one. Stuckenschneider recorded a team-high eight putouts and Walters-Ansell provided two assists.

In the second game, Rockhurst scored five runs in the bottom of the opening inning and never looked back as the Hawks picked up the series sweep. Both of Lincoln's runs came in the top of the fourth, which began with a base hit from Stuckenschneider. Mitchell singled and was replaced by Glenn Berhorst as a pitch runner. Stuckenschneider and Berhorst both advanced on the base path thanks to a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly from Blakey scored Stuckenschneider. Berhorst later came home on a single from Schulte.

Schulte had two hits in the second game while Stuckenschneider, Berhorst, Mitchell, Aiden Boeckmann, Tim Fleming and Brody Johns tallied one apiece. Jonah Claborn rang up three strikeouts on the mound and Ty Ollison fanned one batter. Nolan Laughlin led LU with four putouts while Srebroski and Berhorst each notched three. Srebroski, Walters-Ansell, Blakey and Diego Silva each recorded assists.

Lincoln will play a four-game series against Indianapolis at home next weekend, beginning with a 4:00 p.m. CDT contest on Friday (April 10). The teams will meet for a double-header on Saturday (April 11) for a 12:00 p.m. CDT double-header before playing one final game on Sunday (April 12) at 12:00 p.m. CDT. All four games will be played at Jefferson City's Vivion Field.