ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Lindenwood baseball team (9-10, 0-0 OVC) came out on the wrong end of a pitcher's dual on Saturday, dropping their second game against Murray State (12-7, 0-0 MVC) by a score of 3-1. The two teams combined for just eight hits in the contest with four knocks apiece.
Following a shaky first inning in which he walked four batters and gave up two runs, Lindenwood starter
Seth Benes settled into a nice groove for the remainder of his outing, retiring 12 of the remaining 14 batters he faced. He ended the day with seven strikeouts through five innings of work.
Ethan Smith took over in relief, keeping Lindenwood in the game with three solid innings in which he surrendered just two hits with three strikeouts.
Easton Rakers recorded Lindenwood's final three outs in the ninth, giving up zero hits with a punchout.
Lindenwood's offense struggled to find its footing throughout the afternoon, not finding a way on base until the fourth inning, and not recording a hit until the fifth.
How it Happened
The Racers loaded the bases in the top of the first following a pair of walks and a Connor Chisholm single before a third walk plated the ball game's first run. Park Airhart would drive in another run with a sacrifice fly in the subsequent at-bat, but after issuing another base on balls,
Seth Benes was able to record his first strikeout of the game to escape the inning without any further damage.
Neither team threatened again until the bottom of the fourth when back-to-back walks and a balk put runners on second and third for Lindenwood with two outs, but the Lions were unable to cash in on the scoring opportunity and left bother runners stranded.
Lindenwood loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth but were only able to scratch one run across on a
Will Geary RBI groundout, eventually leaving three runners on base to end the frame.
After Murray State scored on a two-out error in the bottom of the ninth to add an insurance run, Lindenwood moved a runner into scoring position and brought the winning run to the plate with two outs following a
William Zareh walk and
Tyler Ellis base hit, but Murray State closer Dylan Zentko was able to record the third out with a strikeout and secure the save without any runs coming across.
Next Up
Lindenwood and Murray State will meet again on Sunday with both teams looking for a momentum building series win as they head into conference play. First pitch has been moved up to 10:00 a.m. due to approaching inclement weather expected later Sunday afternoon.
