ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Lindenwood baseball team (16-18, 4-7 OVC) secured their second consecutive OVC series win with a 4-1 victory over Western Illinois (8-24, 3-8 OVC) at the Lou Brock Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon.

Seth Benes was lights for Lindenwood on the mound, allowing just one run on four hits with a season-high eight strikeouts through eight innings. It was the longest outing of the season for Benes. Easton Rakers picked up the save after keeping Western off the board in the ninth.

The Lindenwood bats totaled 10 hits on the day with Jake Radosevich, Filip Sarota, and Sam Driscoll leading the club with two hits apiece. Meanwhile, Charlie Isom-McCall, Will Geary, William Zareh, and Tyler Ellis all registered one RBI.

How it Happened
Other than a pair of Lindenwood base hits, neither team was able to generate any offense through the first four innings, as Seth Benes carried a no-hitter into the fifth, including seven strikeouts through the first three innings.

After a hit batter put a runner on for Western in the fifth, Kamryn Link broke up the no-no with a one-out double down the left field line. However, Cordell Coburn was thrown out at home on the play after trying to score all the way from first base, and Benes was able to get out of the inning without any runs following a fly out.

The LU offense rewarded their pitcher with a four-spot in the bottom of the fifth, as the entire Lindenwood order came to the plate while racking up five hits. The inning started with three consecutive singles, beginning with Filip Sarota and Owen Ralph before Sam Driscoll loaded the bases after reaching safely on a bunt.

That turned over the order and brought up Charlie Isom-McCall, who delivered a base hit on his own to drive in Sarota and put the Lions in front. Will Geary and William Zareh would tack on two more runs with sacrifice flies before Tyler Ellis added the fourth with an RBI single through the left side that plated Isom-McCall.

The only other run of the ball game would come in the top of the eighth, as WIU was able to allude the shutout with a Liam Bushey RBI groundout that allowed Josh McClintock to score from third after reaching first on an infield single, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt, and taking another 90 feet on a wild pitch.

After Easton Rakers relieved Benes in the ninth, Western threatened with runners on the corners and just one out following back-to-back base knocks by Isaiah Monge and Cordell Coburn, but Rakers got Kamryn Link to roll into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

Next Up
The series finale against Western Illinois is set for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.