ST. CHARLES, MO.- Lindenwood Lions baseball earned its first Ohio Valley Conference series victory of the season after taking two of the three games from in-state rival Southeast Missouri State Redhawks over the weekend.
Lindenwood (14-17, 2-7 OVC) opened the series with a narrow win on Thursday, dropped the middle game Friday, and responded with a decisive victory on Saturday to secure the series.
Game 1: Newell Dominates Thriller
Lindenwood claimed its first conference win of the season Thursday night with a 3-2 victory behind a masterful outing from ace Josh Newell.
Newell (4-3) tossed a complete game, allowing just three hits and no earned runs while striking out five. He faced just one batter over the minimum through the first eight innings and needed only 75 pitches to record his first 24 outs.
The Lions provided early run support. In the first inning, Kam Edwards delivered a two-out RBI single to score Jake Radosevich for a 1-0 lead. Lindenwood added two more runs in the third, highlighted by an RBI fielder’s choice from Matt Graf and an RBI double down the left-field line by Edwards.
Edwards finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Will Geary, Radosevich and Tyler Ellis each recorded two hits as part of an 11-hit effort.
SEMO threatened in the ninth after an error and a walk extended the inning. Joe Hall delivered a two-run double to cut the deficit to 3-2 and bring the tying run into scoring position. Newell, however, induced a game-ending popout to seal the victory, the third complete game of his Lindenwood career and fourth win of the season for the reigining OVC pitcher of the year.
Game 2: Redhawks Strike Back
The Redhawks responded Friday with an 8-0 win, capitalizing on Lindenwood’s offensive struggles and defensive miscues.
Lindenwood managed just three hits, one each from Radosevich, Geary and William Zareh, and collected only one hit after the first inning.
SEMO jumped ahead early, scoring in the first on an RBI single from Ryan Lopetegui and adding another in the second on an Anthony Ramirez base hit. The Redhawks extended their lead with two unearned runs in the fifth, aided by defensive errors.
Lindenwood committed four errors in the game, leading to multiple unearned runs as SEMO built a 6-0 advantage before adding two more in the ninth.
Seth Benes (2-3) took the loss despite allowing just two earned runs over five innings. SEMO starter Andrew Carroll held the Lions in check throughout, tossing a complete-game shutout, while allowing only three hits.
Game: Niemeyer Earns Win #1
Lindenwood bounced back Saturday with a 7-1 victory to clinch the series, its first OVC series win and first over SEMO since joining the conference.
The Lions struck early with a three-run first inning. Filip Sarota drove in two runs with a single, and Ellis followed with an RBI double to give Lindenwood immediate control.
Lindenwood continued to build its lead, adding runs in the third, fourth and seventh innings. Radosevich provided the highlight with a solo home run in the seventh, finishing with two RBIs.
Charlie Isom-McCall paced the offense with three hits, while Sarota and Ellis each added multi-hit performances as the Lions totaled 13 hits.
On the mound, Lucas Niemeyer (1-2) earned his first career victory, throwing five shutout innings with four strikeouts. Aaron Jungers followed with 3.2 strong innings of relief, allowing just one unearned run, before Easton Rakers recorded the final out.
SEMO’s lone run came in the ninth inning, but the outcome was never in doubt as Lindenwood maintained control throughout.
Newell’s complete-game performance and Niemeyer’s breakthrough start highlighted a pitching staff capable of leading the Lions, while the offense showed signs of life with 24 hits across the two wins.
Lindenwood heads out on the road Wednesday for a midweek matchup against the Purple Aces of Evansville on April 8 at 6 p.m. before returning to the Lou Brock Sports Complex for a weekend series against Western Illinois April 10-12.
