It was a successful weekend for the Lindenwood Lion baseball team winning three out of four games from the visiting Missouri Valley Vikings. On Friday night the Lions won game one of the series, 8-2 and game two, 6-2. The teams split on Saturday with the Lions winning the third game of the series 2-0 and Missouri Valley winning the finale, 8-7 in eight innings.
Game 1
The opening game of the weekend was all Lindenwood from the very beginning. They scored four runs in the first inning and another in the second to jump put to an early, 5-1 lead. Missouri Valley would score a single tally in the fifth to cut the score to 5-2 but the Lions would answer right back with another three runs in the sixth. The home team would hold onto the lead and win the opening game, 8-2.
Dan Harris led the way at the plate with a 2-for-2 day while also driving in two runs. Frank Corpus would pitch in with two hits while Cody Anderson and Ryan Farris would each drive in a run. Zach Malawey (6-2) started on the hil0l and threw all seven innings with eight strikeouts.
Game 2
Game two was much of the same for the Lions as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead after four innings. The Vikings finally got on the scoreboard with two runs in the sixth but were unable to put anymore across the plate. Lindenwood would sweep the double header after the, 6-2 win.
Shelby Anderson had another good game going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Dylan Lowery, Bryce Holland and Casey Colbert all contributed two hits apiece in the win. Freshman Andy Tretter won his fourth game of the season after going five innings and surrendering just two hits.
Game 3
There wasn't much scoring in game three but the Lions scored just enough. Lindenwood would get on the scoreboard with a run in the first and another in the third and that is all they needed.
Behind another strong start from
Randy Serrato the Lions would hold on for the 2-0 win. Serrato completed his second game of the season and also struck out six while allowing no runs.
Casey Colbert started behind the plate for the Lions and led the offense with two hits in three at-bats. Corpus drove in one of the teams' two runs and
Shelby Anderson was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Game 4
The final game of the series did not go the Lions way but it was the best game of the weekend. The home team would jump out to a 1-0 lead after scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Missouri Valley answered right back with three runs to take the lead in the second inning.
Lindenwood would chip away at the lead scoring single runs in the third, the fourth and the fifth to take a, 4-3 lead. With the Lions leading by one, the Vikings came right back and scored three more runs to take the lead back, 6-4.
With the Missouri Valley leading by two, Malawey connected on a long home run to cut the lead to one. The lead was only one for Valley but got a big insurance run in the top of the seventh inning to once again lead by two.
The first two hitters in the Lions' seventh inning grounded out and the team was down to its final out. With the Lions hanging on by a thread, Malawey hit his second home run of the game to cut the lead to one. The next hitter for the Lions was Colbert, who doubled into the right centerfield gap to keep the comeback alive. Ryan Farris would pinch hit and come through with a double to score the runner from second and tie the game.
In the extra frame, the Vikings would score on a two-out double to take the lead. The bottom of the eighth for the Lions started with Cody Anderson getting hit in the back. Justin Lamar would try and bunt to move the runner over but was called out after he bunted the ball and made contact with it out of the batter's box.
Next up was Shelby Anderson, who already had hit a home run in the game, but hit a ground ball to second base and the Vikings were able to turn the game-ending double play.
Malawey ended the day going 2-for-4 with two home runs while Shelby and Cody Anderson also each hit home run.
Next up for Lindenwood (29-12, 13-7) will be a four game series against Central Methodist beginning Friday night in the road in Fayette, Missouri.
Series Notes:
Lindenwood outscored Missouri Valley 7-0 in the first inning … Lions' pitchers struck out 28 hitters over the weekend … Shelby Anderson got at least one hit in every game of the series going 5-for-13 with three runs scored, three RBI and a home run … The Lions' catchers went 6-for-12 for the series with a run, two RBI and home run … Zach Malawey and Randy Serrato each threw a complete game … Malawey did it at the plate as well hitting .300 with two runs, two RBI and two home runs.
