TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - McKendree University baseball dropped the final game of a four-game series down south against Northeastern State on Sunday afternoon, 10-6, and went 1-3 against the RiverHawks on the weekend. The Bearcats return to the field for a three-game series against Purdue Northwest on February 25-26.

The fourth and final game of the series kicked off against with the Bearcats' bats firing on all cylinders, scoring four runs in the top of the second inning. McKendree started the inning with a walk to put graduate senior outfielder Ryan Hutchinson on base which was followed by a single by freshman infielder Gavin Arseneau through the left side. Redshirt junior catcher Austin Francis then was hit by a pitch to load the bases for McKendree. Senior infielder Joseph Costanzo blasted a single down the right side to push Arseneau and Hutchinson through home plate, putting the Bearcats up, 2-0. Junior outfielder Austin Fleming helped tack on another run with a deep hit ball to center, which placed him on second and advanced Costanzo home, making it 3-0. The final run of the inning came off a throwing error, which put graduate senior Peyton Dillingham on first and pushed Fleming home, making the score 4-0 in favor of the visiting-Bearcats. 

McKendree then went up six total runs between the fourth and fifth innings, which was started by a long-hit homer to left field by Francis and made it 5-0. Senior outfielder Corey Price was the first runner for McKendree in the top of the fifth, singling to left field. Senior infielder Alex Steinbach collected single, allowing Price to advance all the way to third base. During Hutchinson's at-bat, the RiverHawks threw an errant pitch, allowing Price to touch down on home and Steinbach to reach second base. The inning then ended with a Hutchinson strike-out. 

Following the hot start, McKendree's bats went cold once again. The Bearcats struggled to contain a potent RiverHawk battery, which amassed eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, which gave the host a three-run lead. The RiverHawks never looked back after the big inning and tacked on one more run in the bottom of the eighth, allowing them to take the game on a 10-6 count. 

UP NEXT
McKendree baseball is back on the field on February 25-26 against Purdue Northwest at Hypes Field in Lebanon, Illinois. Friday, February 25 is slated for a 1:00 P.M. start while February 26 will feature a double-header beginning at 11:00 A.M.

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