Members of the Lindenwood Lions baseball team discuss defensive strategy during a recent game. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood (11-21) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
| Bradley (10-18) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 3 |
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
PEORIA, IL — The Lindenwood Lions baseball team picked up its third straight win on Tuesday, when the club held on to win an 11-9 slugfest against Bradley University.
Junior first baseman Filip Sarota delivered what proved to be the game-winning blow, when he blasted a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to put Lindenwood up 11-6. Bradley scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as the Lions held on for an impressive road win.
Sarota led the way, as he had three hits and four RBIs. The home run was his third of the season.
Teammate Dawson Hokuf also homered in that ninth inning. His blast was a solo shot to lead off the inning. It was also his team-leading fourth homer of the season.
Lindenwood jumped on Bradley early, with Sarota driving in a pair of runs in the top of the first to give the Lions a 2-0 lead. The Braves answered right back with two of their own to even the score at 2.
Bradley scored one in the third to regain a 3-2 lead, but Aaron Jungers was able to pitch out of a jam to keep it a one run ballgame. This allowed Lindenwood to knot things up at three in the top of the fourth after some clutch two-out hitting from Chase Honeycutt as he drove in Sarota. The Lions manufactured a run in the fifth with Kam Edwards and Logan Stevens pulling off a double steal, scoring Edwards, putting Lindenwood up 4-3.
Lindenwood kept the pressure on with four more runs in the sixth. Evan Funkhouser doubled home Honeycutt, while three more runs scored on an error, growing the lead to 8-3. Bradley added another run in the sixth to make it 8-4 and had the pressure on in the seventh. Easton Rakers came on in the inning and got a key double play with the bases loaded to keep the Lions in front by four.
The Braves kept chipping away with two more in the eighth, cutting the deficit to 8-6.
That set the stage for the dramatic ninth inning, which featured the Hokuf and Sarota home runs and a pair of homers by Bradley as well. Fortunately, the Lions were able to get out of the inning and earn their third straight win.
Lindenwood is now 11-21 on the season and will look to continue its hot streak with a home series against Tennessee Tech this weekend. The Lions and Golden Eagles will play games at the Lou Brock Sports Complex on Friday (5 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.), and Sunday (1 p.m.).
Tennessee Tech is 20-13 overall and 6-3 in league play this season, and will begin the weekend in a three-way tie, with Little Rock and SEMO, for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings.
Lindenwood is 4-5 in the OVC and can make a huge move up the league standings if it can continue its current great play this weekend.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | LU | BRAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | LINDENWOOD | 1st | F. Sarota singled, 2 RBI; D. Hokuf scored; L. Stevens scored. | 2 | 0 |
 | BRADLEY | 1st | L. Delgado singled, RBI; B. Durbin advanced to second; R. Vogel scored. | 2 | 1 |
| BRADLEY | 1st | T. O’Brien doubled, RBI; L. Delgado advanced to third; B. Durbin scored. | 2 | 2 |
| BRADLEY | 3rd | T. O’Brien singled, RBI; L. Delgado advanced to second; T. Johnson scored. | 2 | 3 |
| LINDENWOOD | 4th | C. Honeycutt singled, advanced to second on the throw, RBI; F. Sarota scored. | 3 | 3 |
| LINDENWOOD | 5th | L. Stevens stole second; K. Edwards stole home. | 4 | 3 |
| LINDENWOOD | 6th | E. Funkhouse doubled, RBI; C. Honeycutt advanced to third; A. Stellato scored. | 5 | 3 |
| LINDENWOOD | 6th | K. Edwards reached first on an error by 2b; E. Funkhouse scored, unearned; C. Honeycutt scored, unearned. | 7 | 3 |
| LINDENWOOD | 6th | C. Shea advanced to third; K. Edwards scored on an error by c, unearned. | 8 | 3 |
| BRADLEY | 6th | N. Hosie homered, RBI. | 8 | 4 |
| BRADLEY | 8th | R. Vogel singled, RBI; R. Taylor scored. | 8 | 5 |
| BRADLEY | 8th | B. Durbin doubled, RBI; R. Vogel scored. | 8 | 6 |
| LINDENWOOD | 9th | D. Hokuf homered, RBI. | 9 | 6 |
| LINDENWOOD | 9th | F. Sarota homered, 2 RBI; B. Arnette scored. | 11 | 6 |
| BRADLEY | 9th | T. O’Brien homered, RBI. | 11 | 7 |
| BRADLEY | 9th | N. Hosie homered, 2 RBI; C. Luckey scored. | 11 | 9 |
Lindenwood Lions 2024 Baseball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 12, 2024 (Friday) | 5:00 PM | Home | Tennessee Tech | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| April 13, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 PM | Home | Tennessee Tech | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| April 14, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 PM | Home | Tennessee Tech | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| April 16, 2024 (Tuesday) | 5:00 PM | Home | Illinois State | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| April 19, 2024 (Friday) | TBA | Away | Morehead State | Morehead, Ky. |
| April 20, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Morehead State | Morehead, Ky. |
| April 21, 2024 (Sunday) | TBA | Away | Morehead State | Morehead, Ky. |
| April 23, 2024 (Tuesday) | 5:00 PM | Home | Saint Louis University | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| April 26, 2024 (Friday) | 5:00 PM | Home | Western Illinois | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| April 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 PM | Home | Western Illinois | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| April 28, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 PM | Home | Western Illinois | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| April 30, 2024 (Tuesday) | TBA | Away | Missouri | Columbia, Mo. |
| May 3, 2024 (Friday) | 5:00 PM | Home | Southeast Missouri State | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| May 4, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 PM | Home | Southeast Missouri State | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| May 5, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 PM | Home | Southeast Missouri State | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| May 7, 2024 (Tuesday) | 4:00 p.m. | Away | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, Mo. |
| May 10, 2024 (Friday) | TBA | Away | Tennessee-Martin | Martin, Tenn. |
| May 11, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Tennessee-Martin | Martin, Tenn. |
| May 12, 2024 (Sunday) | TBA | Away | Tennessee-Martin | Martin, Tenn. |
| May 16, 2024 (Thursday) | 5:00 PM | Home | Eastern Illinois | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| May 17, 2024 (Friday) | 5:00 PM | Home | Eastern Illinois | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| May 18, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 PM | Home | Eastern Illinois | Lou Brock Sports Complex |
| May 22, 2024 (Wednesday) | TBA | Neutral | Ohio Valley Conference | Marion, Ill. |