Box Score MEMPHIS—Visiting Lindenwood claimed an 8-4 victory in the rubber game of a three-game series Sunday afternoon at Buc Field in the Christian Brothers University Bucs' final weekend series before Gulf South Conference play begins.

The Lions (6-6) scored twice in each of the first two innings to take an early lead.  Doubles from Wade Rothermich and Zach Loraine pushed the first run across in the top of the first, and Ryan Light followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0.  In the second inning, a walk and a hit batter set the stage for a Rothermich RBI single.  A Dylan Lowery squeeze bunt extended the Lions' lead to 4-0.

The Bucs answered in the bottom of the second.  Hunter Parham (Southaven, Miss./Southaven HS) singled to center and moved to second on a wild pitch.  A pair of errors with one out brought Parham home, but Will Wilson (Cordova, Tenn./First Assembly Christian School) was tagged out at the plate trying to score on an Alan Wright (Olive Branch, Miss./DeSoto Central HS) flyout to centerfield.

Neither team scored again until the seventh, when Rothermich walked and scored on a Colton Moore single.  Wilson launched a leadoff homer to center in the bottom of the inning to cut the margin back to 5-2.

Mac Cooley (Bartlett, Tenn./Horn Lake HS) kept the deficit at three runs by pitching around a leadoff single in the eighth, and the Bucs made their biggest push in the bottom of the eighth.  Cody Warren (Orlando, Fla./Orangewood Christian HS) led off with a double, and Jimmy Franklin (Knoxville, Tenn./Powell HS) singled to left-center.  Pinch hitter Charles Armour (Brighton, Tenn./Brighton HS) drew a walk to load the bases, and Parham drove in a run with another walk.  The Lions went to closer Ryan Griffin to try to preserve the 5-3 lead with the bases loaded and none out.  Devan McClish (Dickson, Tenn./Dickson County HS) drove in a run with a groundout to bring the Bucs within a run.  Wilson ripped a hard grounder to third, but Light made a diving stop to prevent two runs from scoring, and Griffin drew another groundout to end the threat.

The Lions put it out of reach in the top of the ninth.  Daniel Weiman doubled to left, and a walk and a bunt single loaded the bases with none out.  CBU reliever Cary Crain (Millington, Tenn./Millington HS) drew an infield popout for the first out, and Weiman evaded the tag at the plate on a Moore sacrifice fly to score a run.  Light belted a two-run double to left-center to set the final margin.

Alan Wright (Olive Branch, Miss./DeSoto Central HS) led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk, but Griffin retired the next three batters to record his third save.

Franklin went 3-for-5 to lead the Bucs' offense, and Wilson was 2-for-4.  Cooley allowed one run on three hits and three walks in six innings of relief, striking out six.

The Bucs host Union Tuesday at 1 p.m. and LeMoyne-Owen for a Wednesday doubleheader at 1 p.m.  They open GSC play next weekend at West Georgia.