The Lincoln University baseball team earned their first win of the season Friday afternoon, rallying with three runs in the ninth inning to defeat host Benedict College 11-10 at Tiger Field in South Carolina.
 
The Lions improve to 1-5 with the win.  Benedict falls to 3-2.
 
Freshman Alex Jones (Bear Del./Appoquinimink) had three hits and drove in four runs to lead the Lions.  Kashif Hill (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy) added two hits and stole three bases while also driving in a run.  Malcolm Smith (Los Angeles, Calif./Susan Miller Dorsey) also stole three bases, walking three times and scoring twice.
 
As a team the Lions stole ten bases in the game, the equaling the second highest total by a Division II institution so far this season behind 13 swipes done by Mississippi College against Quincy on February 23.   Lincoln's ten stolen bases are the most in game for a Lions team since they stole 11 against Saint Paul's College in March 2010.
 
The Lincoln batters were also hit by pitches a total of six times, tying the program record set back in February 2008 against Benedict.  Hill was hit twice, also tying the individual school mark held by 12 different players and last achieved by teammate Willie Hines (Bowie, Md./Bowie) back on opening day earlier this month.
 
Hines pitched 1.2 innings of hitless relief to pick up his first career win in a Lincoln uniform.
 
Six different players combined for seven hits for the Tigers with Chris Harper, Myquerris McGrier and Nick Weston each driving in two runs.  Raul Vargas took the loss in relief.
 
The Tigers held a 1-0 lead until the Lions struck for three runs in the third inning.  Max Guadalupe (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bluefield College) doubled home Willie Hines (Bowie, Md./Bowie) for the first run with Jones three batters later hitting a two-out, two run double, scoring Smith and Elias Beltre (New York, N.Y./Jarvis Christian College) for a 3-1 Lincoln lead.
 
Benedict score twice in the bottom of the third and took a 4-3 lead with a single run in the fourth.
 
Hill singled and stole two bases in the fifth and Smith walked and stole second.  Jones scored them both with his second two-out two-run double as Lincoln retook the lead 5-4 in the fifth.
 
Again the Tigers tied the score at 5-5 and again Lincoln retook the lead 8-5 with three runs in the sixth.  Hines drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly and Hill the second with an infield groundout.  Guadalupe and Smith then walked and executed two consecutive double steals with Guadalupe stealing home to score the final run of the inning.
 
Runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings gave the Tigers a 9-8 lead setting the stage for the Lions in their final at-bat.
 
Jones singled, stole second and was sacrificed to third to start off the inning.  Josiah Lara (Plant City Fla./Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) delivered a two-out bunt single to score Jones with the tying run.  Lincoln added two more runs, both without the aid of a hit as Lara scored when Guadalupe reached base on an infield error and Hines, who earlier reached base on an error, scored on a wild pitch.
 
Hines struggled in the ninth, walking four batters and allowing a run before he got Harper to fly out to Jones to end the game.
 
The Lions will conclude their spring trip on Saturday, February 29, 2020 with a doubleheader against Benedict College.