The Lindenwood baseball team will play four games in a five-day span this week, all at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo.
 
Last Week
The Lions were swept last week by Central Oklahoma in the three-game series in Edmond, Okla.  Lindenwood is now 9-11 overall and 3-9 in the MIAA this season after being on the road for six-straight games.
 
Andrew Eilers started on the bump for the Lions in game one and tossed five innings.  Eilers allowed three runs on six hits, and tallied five strikeouts while keeping the Lions within striking distance.  Lindenwood tied the game in the top of the third when Nathan Prindle scored on a single by Drew Quinones.  Brendan Feldmann threw two scoreless innings for the Lions, but two runs for the Bronchos in the bottom of the eighth inning sealed the 5-1 win for Central Oklahoma.
 
Saturday was a great day to stand in the batter's box as Lindenwood jumped out to a 3-0 lead after Wes Degener scored on a wild pitch, and Mike Ehrhard hit a two-run shot in the top of the first inning.  The Bronchos responded with a seven-run bottom of the first to take a 7-3 lead.  The Lions tied the game in the top of the second after Prindle hit a two-RBI- single, and Ehrhard hit a two-RBI double to make it a 7-7 ball game.  Lindenwood could not keep the Bronchos from scoring as they put up three more runs in the bottom of the second, and one more in the bottom of the third to take a four-run lead.  Paul Sherwood helped chip away at the deficit with a two-RBI single in the fifth inning, but again, the Bronchos responded with two runs of their own.  Lindenwood struggled to keep the Bronchos from crossing the plate, and the Lions fell 16-11 in game two.
 
Brendan Kleekamp went the distance in game three, but his eight-inning five-strikeout performance was not enough, as he allowed five runs on five hits.  Lindenwood scored three runs on RBIs by Prindle, Bobby Lang, and Rayce Singbush, but two runs by the Bronchos in the bottom of the eighth sealed the series sweep.
 
Land went 5-for-12 on the weekend with two RBI, while Prindle was 5-for-14 with four doubles, and three RBI.  Ehrhard tallied four RBI on the weekend off of one double, and one home run.
 
Despite the lack of success against the Bronchos, Head Coach Doug Bletcher was not dissatisfied with his team.
 
"I was disappointed in the outcome of the series against Central Oklahoma, but not in our overall effort against the Bronchos," said Bletcher.  "We brought it," he said confidently, "just came up short in all three games."  Bletcher continued, "Regarding the pitching, (Brendan) Kleekamp, and (Andrew) Eilers' outings on the bump were solid though both games could have had fewer walks which is something we certainly need to keep to a minimum in the future."
 
Bletcher was pleased with the value his team brought to Edmond, Okla., but admitted to the high level of play his team faced.
 
"Bobby Lang had a noticeable, quality, and consistent offensive effort over the three games and the majority of our guys contributed quality at bats," stated Bletcher.  "I can't take away that there were some great defensive plays by the Broncos at key moments in the series that turned the tide in their favor. Those were still quality at bats that you can't take away but that's a unique feature of the sport of baseball," said Bletcher with a smile.  He closed his comments on the Central Oklahoma series with, "You can have a great at bat, in all reality, a successful at bat, but it is still an out. You have to tip your hats to the defense for making the plays when they had to come up big."
 
On The Season
Ehrhard is leading the squad with a .391 batting average (25-for-64), and has driven in 21 runs, hit five home runs, with six doubles, and scored 13 times.  Quinones is leading the team with 29 hits, and has a team-high 23 RBI.  Quinones has hit four doubles, two triples, and three home runs, while Prindle has hit eight doubles with six homeruns.
 
Eilers is leading the team with a 3.86 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched, and has compiled a 2-1 record in three games started.  Connor Law has pitched a team-high 27.1 innings, has 29 strikeouts, and has a 3-1 record in five starts.  Jevon Boyd has appeared in seven games, all from the bullpen.  Boyd has thrown 11.2 innings, holds a 1-1 record, and is keeping opponents to a .196 batting average.
 
This Week in Lindenwood Baseball
3/22/16 – Central Missouri at Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo. – 6 p.m.
3/24/16 – Southwest Baptist at Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo. – 6 p.m.
3/25/16 – Southwest Baptist at Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo. – 1 p.m.
3/26/16 – Southwest Baptist at Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo. – 12 p.m.
 
Lindenwood will host Central Missouri on Tuesday at 6 p.m. for a single game at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo.  Last season the Lions defeated the Mules three games to one in the final series of the regular season.  Central Missouri took game one by a final of 13-4 as Quinones was the only player with two hits for the Lions.  Lindenwood bounced back in game two of the doubleheader with a 4-3 win as Prindle and Degener each had a run scored, and Law picked up the save.
 
The Lions took to momentum into the rest of the weekend with a 13-4 win in game three.  Prindle and Quinones each homered while Degener, Quinones, and Michael Bibbs added doubles to their stat sheets.  Kleekamp threw six innings and tallied four strikeouts, but it was Law who was credited with the victory.  Lindenwood capped off the weekend with a big 4-3 walk-off win due to the RBI-single by Degener in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Southwest Baptist will visit St. Charles, Mo. for a three-game series beginning on Thursday at 6 p.m.  Lindenwood took three-out-of-four from the Bearcats last season.  Game one was a strong 15-5 win for the Lions triples from Degener, Prindle, and Sherwood.  Quinones drove in a game-high five RBI, and added three hits.  Law tallied a save in game two in the 5-2 win for the Lions, and Kleekamp grabbed his fifth win of the year in an 8-1 win in game three. 
 
Kleekamp threw 5.2 innings, allowed just one run on five hits, and struck out two Bearcat batters.  Bibbs had a two-hit game with two RBI and a double, while Prindle registered a double and one run scored.  Lindenwood failed to sweep the season series in a tough 9-8 loss in 11 innings on the final day of the series.
 
Bletcher indicated how important this four-game home stand is for the Lions.
 
"We are looking to right the ship against Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist University this week. There is nothing like home cooking to see if we can turn this season around," ended Bletcher.
 
MIAA Players of the Week
Feb 1-7 Hitter of the Week - Andrew Vogelbaugh - Pittsburg State
Feb 1-7 Pitcher of the Week - Nathan Gieber - Emporia State
Feb 8-14 Co-Hitter of the Week - Joe Mapes - Fort Hays State
Feb 8-14 Co-Hitter of the Week - Joe Paulino - Missouri Southern
Feb 8-14 Pitcher of the Week – Peyton Walker - Missouri Southern
Feb 15-21 Co-Hitter of the Week - Andrew Vogelbaugh - Pittsburg State
Feb 15-21 Co-Hitter of the Week – Jesse Rall - Missouri Southern
Feb 15-21 Pitcher of the Week –Zach Litchen - Missouri Southern
Feb 22-28 Co-Hitter of the Week – Evan Koehler – Emporia State
Feb 22-28 Co-Pitcher of the Week – Ethan Westphal – Central Missouri
Feb 22-28 Co-Pitcher of the Week – Zach Parish – Northeastern State
Feb 22-28 Co-Pitcher of the Week – Nick Silva – Washburn
Feb 29-Mar 6 Hitter of the Week – Evan Koehler – Emporia State
Feb 29-Mar 6 Pitcher of the Week – Ethan Westphal – Central Missouri
Mar 7-13 Hitter of the Week – Cody Begovich – Northeastern State
Mar 7-13 Pitcher of the Week – Payton Walker – Missouri Southern
 
*MIAA Players of the Week will be announced each Tuesday afternoon at TheMIAA.com
**National Rankings will be released each Tuesday at NCAA.org
 
Follow the Lions at Lindenwoodlions.com, on Twitter (@Lu_Lions), and on Instagram (Lindenwood_lions).