- Posted in All University
- Category: AthleticsCampus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. – The Lincoln University baseball team took nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas to the brink, twice, before the Spartans claimed a pair of final at-bat victories Monday in East Coast Conference action at the Palisades Credit Union Park.
Lincoln (4-10, 4-4 ECC) returns to action 3:30 p.m. Friday in a nine-inning game to kick off a pivotal three-game series with Queens College.
GAME ONE: STAC 9, LINCOLN 8 – 10 innings
St. Thomas Aquinas scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings and then scored the winning run in the tenth inning to escape with the victory.
In a game of inches, three consecutive 50/50 plays pumped life into the Spartans in the ninth. An error to start the inning and then back-to-back full-count walks jump-started the rally. A hit batter and sacrifice fly led to a pair of runs. Then a misplay in the outfield was scored a double and enabled two more runs to score.
A pop-out drew the Lions closer to the finish line, but a seeing-eye single plated the tying run.
Before the inning, momentum was clearly wearing blue uniforms as Lincoln took the five-run lead by scoring seven total runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
After the first two hitters reached in the eighth, freshman Hilman Truss (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) drove the first pitch he saw over the right-field fence to give Lincoln its first lead of the contest, 4-3.
Lincoln played add-on in the ninth.
Sophomore Willie Hines (Bowie, Md./Bowie) (Bowie, Md./Bowie) opened the frame with a double and scored on a freshman Jefry Azcona (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) single. Then the Lions put on a power display. Senior Kashif Hill (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy) (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy) left the ballpark to right field for a two-run blast, and to not be outdone, senior Elias Beltre (New York, N.Y./LAM International School) (New York, N.Y./LAM International School) decided to leave the ballpark to left field for a solo shot.
Hines finished 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles and a run scored, while Truss was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Beltre was 4-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and an RBI.
The heroics wasted a sensational outing by freshman Nick Spurlock (Sugar Land, Texas/Kempner) (Sugar Land, Texas/Kempner), in his first career start. He allowed three runs through three innings and continued to toss zeros on the scoreboard. Spurlock went seven innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, with one strikeout.
Hines, 0-1, took the loss in relief, yielding three runs on four hits in one-plus innings.
GAME TWO: STAC 7, LINCOLN 6
For the second game in a row, the Spartans scored in their last at-bat – this time a run-scoring double to escape with a victory.
The first five Lincoln batters reached in the sixth inning, chasing a pair of STAC pitchers. Senior Malcolm Smith (Los Angeles Calif./Susan Miller Dorsey) (Los Angeles, Calif./Susan Miller Dorsey) scored on an error, and Truss came home on a single by sophomore DeAndre Bowens (Rock Hill, N.Y. /Monticello) (Rock Hill, N.Y./Monticello).
Pinch-runner Josiah Lara (Plant City Fla./Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) (Plant City, Fla./Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) stole third and advanced home on the throwing error. Lincoln tallied the tying run on a sacrifice fly, and then Azcona stole home for the go-ahead run.
STAC took advantage of three walks, including one with bases loaded, to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman Hasan Aquil (Washington, D.C./Banneker), 0-1, (Washington, D.C./Banneker) who was saddled with the loss, came on to get a fly out to get the Lions out of the inning.
Hill posted two of Lincoln's five hits, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
