The Lincoln University baseball team opened up their third East Coast conference baseball series of the season hosting Queens College on Saturday at the LU Baseball field. The Knights banged out 30 total hits in the two games on Saturday, handing the Lions a 12-4 and a 16-1 loss on the afternoon.
Ronald Gibbs (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) pitched 5.1 innings in the opener, striking out a season-high eight batters while allowing nine runs (three earned) on nine hits, earning the loss.
Sheldon Johnson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) scored two of Lincoln's four runs in the opener and also had two hits.Aiden Gomes and
Malcolm Smith (Los Angeles, Calif./Susan Miller Dorsey) had one RBI apiece.
Smith's single in the first inning scored Johnson who reached base on a fielding error to lead off the inning, giving the Lions an early 1-0 lead.
Three errors in the third inning led to three runs by the Knights as they retook the lead. In the bottom half of the inning Gomes delivered a one-out double to score
Jordan Rorer (Cheltenham, Pa./Cheltenham) who had an infield single to lead off the inning, making the score 3-2.
The Knights scored twice in the fourth inning and Lincoln added solo runs in the fourth and fifth innings to stay within one run, 5-4.
Max Guadalupe (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bluefield College) scored on a failed pickoff attempt in the fourth while Johnson scored on a passed ball in the fifth.
Queens blew the game open with five runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to round out the scoring. Ron Linsalato finished the game with four hits and two RBI to pace the Knights' 13-hit attack. Matt Gutleber had two hits and three RBI while Louis Antos had two hits, two walks and two RBI for the Knights. Dennis Buckstein earned the win, tossing eight innings of six-hit ball while striking out 13 batters.
In the nightcap, Marco Castillo allowed 6 runs over 5.1 innings as the Lions dropped a 16-1 decision to the Knights. Eight different Lions had a hit apiece with
Jalil Banks (Lynwood, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) driving in the only run with a single in the second inning.
The Knights scored runs in five of the first six innings before exploding for nine runs in the seventh inning to blow the game open. Linsalato finished the game with four RBI and also walked five time in the contest. Jon Strauss had four hits and three RBI while Eric Roubal added three hits.
Dylan Hughes pitched six innings to earn the win for the Knights. Hughes struck out seven and allowed one run on seven hits
Lincoln and Queens are back in action on Sunday as they complete their four game series with a doubleheader at the Lions baseball field on Sunday, April 7, 20-19. First pitch is at noon.
