KYLE RHINE | Reporter
The baseball team lost the rubber match of the series against conference opponent Nebraska-Kearney Sunday afternoon 10-3 in Kearney, Nebraska.
Lindenwood fell in the first game of the series on Friday by the score of 16-2. Kyle Hentis started on the mound and lasted just one and two-thirds of an inning giving up three earned runs.
The pitching struggles continued throughout the game as the Lions found themselves down 10-1 in the fourth inning. Nebraska-Kearney added six more runs in the fifth inning as the Lopers went on to win 16-2 in game one.
The Lions turned things around on Saturday as the offense came alive started by Wes Degener’s double in the third inning to score Lindenwood’s first run of the game. Degener came through with another clutch hit in the fourth inning on a single that scored two runs. Lindenwood had a commanding 7-0 lead after four innings.
In the fifth inning, Vince Saladino doubled to left center field scoring Dominic Revetta as the Lions led 8-0.
Tyler Cassmeyer made his seventh start on the season and pitched a shutout until the sixth inning. Cassmeyer allowed six hits, three earned runs and three walks and had six strikeouts in six and two-thirds innings.
Lindenwood led 8-5 in the ninth inning and Nebraska-Kearney had the tying run come to the plate, but Michael Cessna got the final batter to fly out to right field to end the game.
However, the Lions’ bats could not muster any runs together during the 10-3 loss in the series finale on Sunday.
The Lions shot out to an early 2-0 lead after Drew Quinones and Dominic Revetta each drove in a run in the first inning. Nebraska-Kearney came back with three runs of its own in the bottom half.
Ian Nelson gave the Lions a 3-2 lead in the third inning on a RBI groundout that scored Revetta, but the Lopers tied the game in the bottom half. It would be all Nebraska-Kearney from there as the Lopers scored seven unanswered runs to take the rubber match of the series.
Following the series loss, the Lions are 13-14 on the season and will return home for a game against Missouri S&T on at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27 in St. Charles.
