The Lindenwood baseball team will play one game at home this week, then hit the road for four-consecutive games that span over five days.
 
Last Week
Lindenwood went 2-3 last week, but added two wins in conference play.  The Lions dropped the first two games of the week to Central Missouri and Illinois-Springfield, then went on to take two-out-of-three from Fort Hays State to finish the week.  Lindenwood took game one 12-2, but lost game two by a final of 12-6.  The Lions capped off the week with a 3-0 victory over the Tigers.
 
The Lions played their final game against Central Missouri on Tuesday, looking to get a victory in St. Charles, Mo.  Lindenwood allowed a run in the top of the first innings, but Drew Quinones tied the game with an RBI-single.  Kyle Teter put the Lions up by a run in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly to drive in Mike Ehrhard.  The Mules regained the lead in the top of the sixth with two runs, but the Lions fought back in the bottom of the seventh.  Ryan Sosnowski laid down a bunt to bring in Wes Degener, and Nathan Prindle scored on a single by Quinones to put the Lions up 4-3.  However, Central Missouri added three runs in the final two innings to take the final game of the three-game series, 6-4.
 
Game two of the week was a tough one for the Lions as they surrendered 21 runs on 21 hits in the 21-9 loss on Wednesday.  The Lions surrendered seven runs in the bottom of the second after the Prairie Stars compiled four hits and the Lions committed one error.  Prindle put the Lions back in the game with a three-run shot to make it a 7-3 ball game.  Illinois-Springfield added four runs in the third, and two runs in the fourth to take a 13-3 lead.  In the top of the fifth, Prindle walked with bases loaded to bring in a run, and Quinones hit a bases-clearing triple to left center to put Lindenwood within five runs.  The deficit was too much for the Lions as they fell 21-9 on Wednesday night.
 
In game one against Fort Hays State, the Lions jumped on the board in the bottom of the second inning after Quinones scored to put Lindenwood up 1-0.  Michael Bibbs tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth after a fielding error by the second baseman to give Lindenwood a 2-0 lead.  Brendan Feldmann hurled a phenomenal game by going the distance with seven innings pitched, 11 strikeouts, allowed just two runs on six hits, did not allow an earned run.
 
Lindenwood stepped on the gas in the fifth inning after an Ehrhard single drove in Degener.  Quinones added another run with an RBI double, and Teter drove in two runs on a triple to extend the Lindenwood lead to 6-0.  The Lions continued to swing a strong bat in the sixth including a two-run home run by Degener, and a three-run home run by Sosnowski to give Lindenwood a nine-run lead.  Jackson Fuller scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh to cap off the shortened seven-inning game, and solidify a 12-2 win for the Lions.
 
Lindenwood struggled in game two although the hitting was not quiet.  The Lions scored first in the game with two runs in the bottom of the first inning.  Teter singled to bring in Quinones, and Bobby Lang drove in Prindle on a single to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.  The Tigers rallied to put up six runs in the second inning to take a 6-2 lead, but the Lions fought back.  The Lions added a run in the bottom of the second on a wild pitch that allowed Jackson Fuller to score.  Lindenwood pulled within one run in the bottom of the fourth on a Degener solo home run, and a passed ball that Prindle scored on to make it a 6-5 ballgame.  The Lions allowed six runs in the final four innings as they lost game two by a 12-6 margin.
 
The rubber match belonged to Lions ace Connor Law.  The 6-4 junior had one of his best pitching performances of the season after pitching a complete-game shutout en route to his fifth win of the season.  Law tallied four strikeouts and allowed just three hits in the nine-inning affair.  Law had great defensive support as well including two phenomenal catches by Teter in centerfield to help keep the Tigers from scoring.
 
The Lions scored quickly in the first inning after Degener led off the bottom of the first with a triple, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Prindle.  Lindenwood picked up more runs in the sixth after Prindle began the inning with a triple and scored on an Ehrhard double.  Sosnowski hit a double on the next pitch to drive in Ehrhard, giving the Lions a 3-0 lead.  Law allowed just one hit in the final four innings to close the door on a 3-0 win for Lindenwood.
 
On The Season
Prindle is leading the squad with a .396 batting average, nine home runs, 13 doubles, five triples, 47 runs scored, and a .847 slugging percentage.  Degener is hitting .352, with seven doubles, three triples, and eight stolen bases, while drawing a team-high 29 walks.  Ehrhard holds a .345 batting average with 31 RBI, nine doubles, and six home runs.  Prindle is in the top-10 in the MIAA for home runs, doubles, and triples, while ranking second in the MIAA in slugging percentage and runs scored.
 
Feldmann is leading the pitching staff with a 1.90 ERA, while also compiling a 2-1 record, 23.2 innings pitched, and 23 strikeouts.  Law is 5-1 on the year with a 2.22 ERA in 52.2 innings, and holds a team-high 44 strikeouts.  Law has appeared in 11 games, and has registered one save, as he hit in the top-10 in the MIAA in 10 categories.  Kleekamp has one of five complete games on the team with a 1-4 record, and a 5.01 ERA.  Kleekamp has thrown 50.1 innings with 22 strikeouts in 12 appearances.
 
This Week in Lindenwood Baseball
4/12/16 –Harris-Stowe at Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo. – 6 p.m.
4/13/16 –Lincoln at LU Baseball Field in Jefferson City, Mo. – 4 p.m.
4/15/16 –Washburn at Falley Field in Topeka, Kan. – 6 p.m.
4/16/16 – Washburn at Falley Field in Topeka, Kan. – 1 p.m.
4/17/16 – Washburn at Falley Field in Topeka, Kan. – 12 p.m.
 
The Lions will open the week with a game against Harris-Stowe on Tuesday at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo.  Lindenwood defeated the Hornets earlier in the season with a 20-3 win and a 13-8 win.  Quinones was 3-for-3 in game one with three RBI and a home run.  Sam Baxter had a double and a triple in the game, along with five RBI.  In the second game, Quinones went 2-for-4 with four RBI, a double, and a triple.
 
The Lions will take on Lincoln on Wednesday for the first meeting of the season between the Lions and the Blue Tigers.  In just two games last season, the Lions defeated the Lincoln by a combined score of 29-10.  Lindenwood will open the series in Jefferson City, Mo. before heading to Topeka, Kan. for the three-game set against Washburn.
 
The Lions will take on Washburn beginning on Friday at 6 p.m.  The two teams split the season series last year as three of the four games were decided by two-runs or less.  Lindenwood has lost five MIAA series this season, but have won three-weekend series in a row.
 
MIAA Players of the Week
Mar 21-27 Hitter of the Week – Nathan Prindle –Lindenwood
 
*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).