The Lindenwood baseball team beat Fort Hays State 9-0 on Friday night the start a three-game series at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo.
 
Game Overview: Lindenwood 9, Fort Hays State 0
Blake Beckmann set the tone for the Lions after tallying five strikeouts and just four hits allowed in seven-scoreless inning pitched.  Lindenwood broke through offensively in the bottom of the third inning that started with a double down the left field line by DJ Miller that brought in Brett Andersen to score.  Drew Quinones hit the ball hard to right field for a single, but the ball rolled through the legs of the right fielder, allowing Quinones to score on the play along with Miller and Wes Degener.
 
Vince Saladino drove in Ian Nelson on a double down the left field line to put the Lions ahead 5-0.  Degener added a run in the bottom of the sixth with a solo blast off the scoreboard in right center.  Andersen scored for the second time on the night after Degener poked a double down the right field line in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead.  Conor Behrens drove in Degener later in the inning and Quinones scored on a wild pitch to give Lindenwood a 9-0 lead after eight innings of play.  Austin Georgen shut the door with four strikeouts in the final two innings pitch to cap off the win in the series opener.
 
Game Leaders
Wes Degener (3-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB)
Brett Andersen (2-for-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 BB)
Blake Beckmann (7.0 IP, 5 K, 0 R, 4 H)
 
Up Next
Lindenwood improves to 20-20 on the season and 12-16 in the MIAA while Fort Hays State drops to 13-28 on the year and 5-22 in conference play.  The Lions will take on the Tigers in the second game of the series on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo.