The Lindenwood baseball team fell to Northeastern State on Saturday by a score of 17-10.

The Lions jumped out to a strong start as Wes Degener hit a seed to right center for a double and Nathan Prindle mashed a two-run home run over the left centerfield wall.  After two Lion runners reached base via hit-by-pitch and a walk respectively, Drew Quinones hit a single past the second baseman to drive in Wade Rothermich.  Lindenwood held a 3-0 lead after the first frame.

In his second at-bat of the game Prindle pelted another homerun, this one over the right centerfield wall to give the Lions a 4-0 lead after two innings.  Will Spitzfaden allowed the first two runners to reach base in the top of the third inning, but had defensive help with a double play and a fly out to get out of early trouble.

In the bottom of the third inning Rothermich and Ryan Light hit back-to-back single and were placed on the corners.  Quinones drove in Rothermich with a single through the left side and Light scored on a single by Mike Wilson put the Lions up 6-0.  Degener hit a two-RBI double to left field scoring Wilson and Perkins to give the Lions an 8-0 lead after the first three innings.

The Lions surrendered eight runs in the top of the fourth as their lead diminished in six hits as the RiverHawks tied the game at 8-8.  Northeastern State took its first lead of the game in the top of the fifth with a two run double to go up 10-8.  The Lions scored a run on a sacrifice fly by Degener to cut the lead to 10-9 after the fifth inning.  The RiverHawks added a run in the seventh and eighth innings and put up five runs in the ninth to take a commanding 17-9 lead heading into the final half inning.  Lindenwood scored one run in the bottom of the ninth, but fell 17-10.

The loss puts Lindenwood at 6-12 on the year and 0-5 in the MIAA.  The Lions continue the four-game series with Northeastern State tomorrow with game one of two starting at 1 p.m. at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo.