The Lincoln University baseball team came back from an 8-0 deficit to defeat Virginia State University 10-9 in the opening game of their final series of the season Saturday at Oxford High School Field in Oxford, Pennsylvania.
 
The win was the Lions first since March 19, snapping a losing streak that covered 23 games. In the second game, Lincoln's comeback attempt fell short as VSU held on to win 7-5.
 
The Lions finish their season at 6-33 overall and 2-14 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association games.  VSU closes out their regular season at 19-24, 5-10 in CIAA play. 
 
Marcos Castillo (Brooklyn, N.Y./HS of Telecommunications) earned his first win of the season, pitching five innings in relief of starter Terence Berry (Dover, N.J./Dover HS) and allowing just two runs on nine hits while striking out five and walking none.  He finishes the season at 1-4.
 
Marquis Coleman (Middle River , Md./Baltimore Polytech HS) hit his first collegiate home run and drove in three runs.  Seniors Ronald Lashley (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy) and Michael Howard (Bronx, N.Y./Utica College) had three hits apiece. Senior DeVante' Parker (Bear, Del./Appoquinimink) added two hits and drove in two runs.  Howard and freshman Rolando Alvarez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional HS) also drove in a pair of runs.
 
In the second game, Julian Bradshaw (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Generation HS) became the second Lions player this season to produce a four-hit game, going 4-4 with three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and one RBI.  His four hits ties the school record for hits in a game, becoming the eighth player to do so.  Bradshaw also tied the school record for total bases in a game with nine, equaling Melvin Robinson's mark set against Felician College in 2010.
 
The Trojans wasted no time getting on the board as Berry walked the first two batters and VSU catcher Dave Markins followed with a three run home run to left field.  Jahleel Sewer added a two-run home run in the second and the Trojans put up to more in the third inning to chase Berry and take an 8-0 lead.
 
Aiden Gomes (Bronx, N.Y./LaSalle Academy) singled to start the third inning and after a walk to Julian Bradshaw (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Generation HS), Lashley beat out a bunt as he attempted to move the runners along and loaded the bases.  The runners all advanced on a wild pitch from Trojan starter Brandon diamond as Gomes scored LU's first run.  Parker followed with a long single to score Bradshaw and Lashley and took second on the throw to the plate, cutting the lead to 8-3.  Four batters later, with runners again on second and third, Howard delivered a long single, scoring Parker and Gabriel Santiago (Bronx, N.Y./Mount Saint Michael Academy) who had reached on a walk, making the score 8-5 and chased Diamond from the mound.
 
Castillo allowed singles in the fourth and fifth innings but left both runners stranded as the Lions continued their rally in the bottom half of the fifth inning.
 
Brendan Sherman-Johnson (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytech HS) and Howard singled to start the inning, bringing up Coleman who smoked the first pitch from Jordan Claytor over the left field fence for a game tying three run home run.   Lashley again beat out a bunt, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before Parker drew a walk, putting two runners on for Rolando Alvarez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional HS).  Alvarez then took a 1-0pitch and drove the ball into deep center field for a double, scoring both Lashley and Parker and giving Lincoln a 10-8 lead.
 
Following a scoreless sixth, the Trojans threatened in their final at-bat as Sewer doubled with one out and Markins reached on an infield error.  Colton Gunn singled to score Sewer and was replaced by pinch runner Rodney Shell.  Lashley then made a diving catch in right field which would have easily scored two runs had it fallen. A wild pitch by Castillo however, put the tying run on second and the go-ahead run on third with two out.  Castillo then went to a full count on Stephen McCoy before a curve ball got the Trojan third baseman swinging for the third strike ending the game and giving Castillo and the Lions the win.
 
The Lions were not as successful coming back from a 7-1 deficit in game two, closing the gap to 7-5 but falling short in the end.  Orlando Roberson (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley HS) took the loss, allowing all seven runs in 4.1 innings pitched.  Roberson struck out six and walked four.
 
Bradshaw led the way with his four-hit game.  Sherman-Johnson had two hits, including a single in his final collegiate at-bat. Lashley and Yasser Ortiz (Carolina, P.R./Juan Jose' Osuna) also recorded hits in their final collegiate at-bats as part of Lincoln's two-run seventh inning.
 
Sewer continued to have the hot bat for the Trojans, hitting a two run home run in the third inning and a solo homer in the fifth inning.  Markins also had a solo home run in the fifth, his second of the day.  Gunn started and pitched six-plus innings to earn his second win of the season while Gerald Taylor picked up the save.
 
VSU's two fifth inning home runs pushed the lead to 6-1.  The Trojans plated one more run in the inning to go up 7-1 before the Lions started to comeback in the bottom half of the inning. Lincoln's only run to this point was Bradshaw's solo homerun over the left field fence in the third inning.
 
Dominic Rheubottom (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytech HS) reached on an infield error, stole second and moved to third on Bradshaw's double.  Lashley hit a sacrifice fly to score Rheubottom.  Bradshaw stole third and then scored on Parker's RBI groundout, making the score 7-3.  
 
Lincoln loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth as Sherman-Johnson and Christian Gil (Staten Island, N.Y./LaSalle Academy) delivered singles and Howard was hit by a pitch.  A fly out by Coleman turned into a double play when Sherman-Johnson was tagged out while trying to score, courtesy of a perfect throw from Sewer in centerfield. Rheubottom grounded out to end the inning and the threat as Lincoln failed to score.
 
In the Lions final at-bat, Bradshaw almost hit his second home run of the game as his hit to left field hit the fence for a double.  Lashley then doubled to right centerfield to score Bradshaw, pulling the Lions within three, 7-4 and chasing Gunn from the mound.  Gomes came in to run for Lashley and moved to third on Ortiz' pinch-hit single. A wild pitch made the score 7-5 and Ortiz eventually made his way to third via a passed ball with Santiago at the plate as the potential tying run with one out.  Santiago struck out and Gil flied out to centerfield to end the game.