RJ Liverpool (Richmond, Va./Monacan) had three extra-base hits and drove in four runs as the Lincoln University baseball team scored five runs in their final at-bat to  defeat Benedict College 14-9 in the opening game of their doubleheader on Saturday at Tiger Field in Columbia, South Carolina.
 
The Tigers took the second game, giving the Lions a split of the doubleheader on their last day of the team's southern spring break swing.  The Lions' win was their second of the season having defeated the Tigers one day earlier 11-10, giving LU a modest two-game win streak, their first since the opening two games of the 2017 season.  
 
Lincoln's record is now 2-6 while Benedict goes to 4-3 with the split.
 
Liverpool  went 3-for-3 with a sacrifice  along with a double, triple and his first home run of the season, falling just a single shy of hitting for the cycle while driving in four runs.  Kashif Hill (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy) added two hits and stole three bases while Josh Roberson (Germantown Md./Seneca Valley) had one hit and drove in two runs.
 
Trevon Sutton (Chicago, Ill./Harlan Community Academy) earned the complete game win, tossing seven innings while allowing 12 hits and striking out seven.  Sutton improved to 1-1 on the season.
 
Braden O'Connor led the Tigers with three hits (all doubles) and two RBI.  Chris Harper had two hits and drove in three runs.  Philip Torres took the loss.
 
With the game tied at 9-9 heading into the seventh inning, the Lions sent ten batters to the plate, producing five runs on just two hits.   Alex Jones (Bear Del./Appoquinimink) walked to start the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice, stole third and scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error.  Josiah Lara (Plant City Fla./Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) also reached on an error and scored on Hill's single and the Lions proceeded to load the bases as Max Guadalupe (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bluefield College) was hit by a pitch, and Malcolm Smith (Los Angeles, Calif./Susan Miller Dorsey) walked.  Hill scored when Bradley Regalado (Queens, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin Memorial) was also hit by a pitch.  Roberson drove in the final two runs with a single.
 
Sutton retired the Tigers in order in the seventh to secure the win and improve to 1-2 on the season.
 
Liverpool first home run of the season capped off a five-run fifth inning and was the Lions only hit of the inning that saw Lincoln erase a 4-3 deficit and take an 8-4 lead.   Willie Hines (Bowie, Md./Bowie) scored on a wild pitch to make the score 9-4 in the sixth before the Tigers tied the game in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Harper and O'Connor had doubles for the Tigers in the sixth keying their five run rally to tie the game at 9-9 before the Lions roared back in their final at-bat for the 14-9 win.
 
In the nightcap the Tigers broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run fourth inning as they went on to defeat the Lions 16-6.
 
Hines had two of the Lions' four hits in the game, a double to lead off the game and an RBI double in the second inning.  Hill had an RBI single in the first inning and Guadalupe added a two-run single in the seventh to account for the Lions offensive production.  Hill extended his hitting streak to four games with his single.
 
Rolando Alvarez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional ) took the loss, his first of the season. Alvarez threw five innings, allowing ten runs (eight earned) on eight hits while striking out three.
 
Harper had two hits and drove in five runs for the Tigers while O'Connor drove in three runs on two hits.   Anthony Johnson added three hits and drove in two.   Chris Moore earned the win
 
Hines doubled to leadoff the game and scored on Hill's single to give Lincoln a brief 1-0 lead.   The Tigers scored twice in the bottom half of the first to take a 2-1 lead before Hines doubled home Lara to tie the game at 2-2 in the second.
 
Benedict scored 14 unanswered runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to take a 16-2 lead before the Lions scored four times in the final at-bat to make the final 16-6.


Sheldon Johnson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) scored the first Lincoln run in the seventh on a passed ball before Guadalupe delivered a two-run single scoring Hill and Hines.  Three batters later Kendall Bonner (Mattison, Ill./Rich Central ) drew a bases-load walk to round out the scoring.
 
The Lions are back in action on Sunday, March 8, 2020 when they host University of the Sciences in their home opener.  First pitch is at noon.