The Lindenwood Lions celebrate taking the lead over the UMSL Tritons in GLVC baseball game, Thursday afternoon at the UMSL Baseball Field. (Photo: Nathan Assata)

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W: Logan Katen (5-0) L: Dylan Wobbe (1-2)

Torrance Terrell
Staff Writer

ST. LOUIS, MO — The Lindenwood Lions blasted a pair of dramatic late-inning home runs to pull off a thrilling 9-7 comeback win over the crosstown rival UMSL Tritons, Thursday afternoon in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game at the UMSL Baseball Field.

The host Tritons scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 7-4 lead, but could only watch as Lindenwood got a two-run homer from freshman Jack Meyer to pull within a run in the top of the seventh, then added a three-run bomb from senior Michael Ward to take the lead in the eighth.

Lions reliever Logan Katen held UMSL scoreless over the final three innings to allow the visitors to close out their fourth straight win in a row.

The loss ended a four-game winning streak for the host Tritons, who saw their overall record slip to 7-21.

Lindenwood is now 20-14 on the season, and 9-4 in GLVC play.

The scoring began in the top of the fourth inning, when Lindenwood got a pair of runs on an RBI groundout and a passed ball. UMSL answered in the bottom half, with an RBI double by Mitchell Green and an RBI single by Logan Mantz.

The Lions retook the lead in the top of the sixth, when senior centerfielder Sam Kissane singled to right to drive in Meyer make the score 3-2. Sophomore rightfielder Will Lanxon then made it 4-2, when he lifted a sacrifice fly to right that drove in Kissane.

UMSL sent nine men to the plate in its half of the sixth, which included five hits, a walk, a hit batter, and two wild pitches. The big blow of the inning was a two-run single by freshman Carson Steiner that gave the Tritons their first lead of the game.

The Tritons then seemed to take control of the game when they added two more runs, later that inning to go ahead 7-4.

But that just set the stage for Lindenwood’s power surge to regain the lead.

First, Meyer blasted a shot deep over the left field wall, for his second homer of the season, to make the score 7-6. Then an inning later, following a two-out UMSL error and a hit batter, Ward smacked the first pitch he saw, for his second homer of the season, to give the Lions a lead they would not relinquish.

Thursday’s contest was the first of a four-game set between Lindenwood and UMSL. The two clubs will play a doubleheader at the UMSL Baseball Field on Friday, then conclude the series with a single game at UMSL on Saturday.

Lindenwood’s next set of home games will come next weekend, when the Lions will host a four-game set against GLVC rival Drury University.