DANIEL BRICKHAUS| Reporter

Lindenwood baseball swept a three-game series against Northeastern State this past weekend, bringing their record to 11-14.

The team looked to notch a W after they lost four straight and three against Emporia State last weekend.

The second frame was the most eventful inning of the game, and it started in the top half. The Lions began a rally with two outs as Mitchell Krebs struck first with a two-RBI single that also scored Kolby Schulte on a fielding error. D.J. Miller drove in Krebs on a double to center field, making it a 4-0 lead for Lindenwood. Northeastern State took the lead in the bottom of the inning after tallying five runs on six hits and one fielding error.

Lindenwood regained the lead in the top of the third after Ryan Venne drove in two runs on a single to center field. The RiverHawks scored a run in the bottom of the fourth, but Eric Hipp shut down Northeastern State for the remainder of the game. The Lions poured on five more runs in the top of the sixth that started with a solo blast by Schulte to tie the game at 6-6.

Neil Fischer broke the tie with a two-RBI double to left field to make it 8-6. Hipp helped his cause with a two-RBI single to center field to give Lindenwood a commanding four-run lead. The Lions added an insurance run to cap off the inning and earn the 11-6 victory to open the series.

Game Two of the three-game set against the RiverHawks went just as well for the Lions as Game One did. Kyle Stevens belted a three-run home run in the top of the first to spark the offense.
  

Miller and Fischer hit back-to-back singles with two outs to keep the opening frame alive. Stevens homered to left field to make it an early 3-0 lead for Lindenwood. The RiverHawks got one run back in the bottom of the first, and later tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the second inning.  Lindenwood struck again with two outs, this time in the top of the third inning. Ryan Sosnowski hit a two-RBI single to left field, giving the Lions a 5-3 lead.
 

In the eighth inning, the Lions added a few insurance runs and it started with Stevens scoring on an error by the RiverHawks. Bryce Beckman drove in a run on a double to right center, and later scored on another field error by Northeastern State. Michael Cessna earned his first save of the year after tossing four strong innings. Cessna allowed just one hit and struck out three batters, helping the Lions to an 8-3 win. 

In Game Three the Lions repeated just like Games One and Two and walked away with a win. The Lions opened up the scoring in the top of the first inning with back-to-back RBI singles by Kyle Stevens and Ryan Sosnowski to make it a 2-0 ballgame. Krebs singled with two outs in the top of the second that allowed Schulte to score, extending the lead to three runs. The RiverHawks had a big inning in the bottom of the second as they took the lead with four runs on four hits and stranded two runners.
  
The Lindenwood offense stayed hot in the top of the third as Bryce Beckmann sparked a big inning with a two-run home run with two outs. Krebs tallied an RBI single up the middle and DJ Miller drove in a run in the next at-bat to build on the lead. The Lions plated two more runs to end the inning as their six runs came on four hits and two errors, resulting in a 9-4 advantage. Northeastern State made it a 9-6 game after posting two runs in the bottom of the third.

Beckmann scored on a passed ball in the top of the fourth, and Lindenwood put together another strong inning in the fifth. Stevens hit a two-RBI double to right center, and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 13-6 in favor of the Lions. The RiverHawks stuck around as they tallied two runs in the fifth and another in the seventh to make it a 13-9 game.  Miller added a run in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly, and Michael Cessna earned his second save in as many days to give Lindenwood the 14-9 win.

After a three-game set against Northeastern State, the Lions look to continue their winning ways against Harris-Stowe and Missouri Western State. The Lions’ record now sits at 11-14. However, they are 5-4 at home this year as well as riding a three-game win streak, so they are looking to make it a productive weekend.