Lindenwood baseball (25-24) dropped their final midweek game of the season Tuesday to the Saint Louis University Billikens (29-19) by the score of 7-4.
Zach Buschschulte took the loss, his third, as he tossed 1.1 innings out the bullpen giving three runs on four hits after taking over for starter Kris Alcorn who only lasted 2.2 innings giving up two runs on two hits while also walking four and throwing 49 pitches.
Filip Sarota continued his nice hitting from the weekend going 2/3 with a double and a run scored while Bryson Arnette launched his fifth homer of the season.
Saint Louis struck first for a pair of runs in the top of the first before the Lions tied the game in the bottom of the third after Evan Funkhouser led off the inning with a single and then made his way around the bases via three wild pitches before coming in to score Lindenwood’s first run. Back-to-back walks by Mitch Cummins and Sarato and a single from Tyler Ellis loaded the bases as Arnette drew a five pitch walk to drive in Cummins and tie the game at 2-2.
The Billikens responded with a three spot in the top of the fourth off an RBI single from Ian Halverson and a two run double from Riley Iffrig to give SLU a 5-2 lead. Buschschulte would strike out a pair to end the threat before handing the ball to Dillon Haftorson who tossed 4.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen while only giving up two hits and striking out giving Lindenwood a chance to comeback in this game.
The Lions would get a run back in the fifth as after a Sarota double, Sam Grunberg would drive him in with a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 5-3. However, the Lions would go three up-three down the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings not being able to find any baserunners before SLU tacked on another pair of run in the ninth on an RBI single from Iffrig who would then come around to score on a wild pitch extending the Billiken lead to 7-3.
Arnette would homer to lead off the home ninth but nothing more would come from the inning as Brodie Short and Cummins struck out the end the game and give the Lions their 24th loss of the year and lose the season series to SLU 2-0.
Lindenwood will now travel to Cookeville Tennessee for their second to last OVC series of the year with the three game set beginning on Friday May 9 at 6 p.m.
