HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Railsplitters kicked off the 2015 men's tennis season on a high note Saturday afternoon, capturing a 6-3 victory over the University of the Cumberlands Patriots at the LMU Tennis Complex. Lincoln Memorial improves to 1-0 overall, while Cumberlands falls to 0-1.  

The Railsplitters jumped out to an early lead by taking the first two doubles matches. Senior Will Sparks (Knoxville, Tenn.) and freshman Joshua Coulthard (Staindrop, England) handed Ariez Heshaam and Dan Fraser a hard-fought 8-6 defeat in the first flight. Sophomore Pepe Batalla (Barcelona, Spain) and freshman Joshua Peress (Montreal, Quebec) then put the Railsplitters in front at No.2 doubles with an 8-5 win over Eduardo Cabrera and Adria Elduque.

The Patriots salvaged doubles play in the third flight as Daniel Butcher and Yusuke Matsuoka combined for a grueling 9-8 decision versus Stefan Hall (Stratford, PEI) and Carlos Zunino (Samborondon, Ecuador).

The Patriots briefly regained some momentum with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Heshaam defeated Coulthard in 6-1, 6-1 fashion in the top flight, while Butcher edged Sparks 6-3, 7-5 in the second flight.

That lead was short lived, though, as Lincoln Memorial battled back by winning the last four singles matches. Batalla outlasted Cabrera via a second-set tiebreaker 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) at No. 3, while Peress dropped just two games in a straight-set evisceration of Matsuoka at No. 4. Hall and Guilherme Rocha (Victoria, Brazil) completed the Railsplitters' showing with three-set triumphs in the fifth and sixth flights.

The Railsplitters will be back in action on February 6, traveling to Richmond, Ky. to tangle with Division I Eastern Kentucky. That match begins with doubles action at 12 p.m.

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Lincoln Memorial 6, Cumberlands 3
Jan 31, 2015 at Harrogate, TN (LMU Tennis Complex)

Singles competition
1. Ariez Heshaam (VIS) def. Joshua Coulthard (LMU) 6-1, 6-1
2. Daniel Butcher (VIS) def. Will Sparks (LMU) 6-3, 7-5
3. Pepe Batalla (LMU) def. Eduardo Cabrera (VIS) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4)
4. Joshua Peress (LMU) def. Yusuke Matsuoka (VIS) 6-0, 6-2
5. Stefan Hall (LMU) def. Dan Fraser (VIS) 3-6, 6-1, 10-3
6. Guilherme Rocha (LMU) def. Adria Elduque (VIS) 3-6, 6-3, 10-5

Doubles competition
1. Will Sparks/Joshua Coulthard (LMU) def. Ariez Heshaam/Dan Fraser (VIS) 8-6
2. Pepe Batalla/Joshua Peress (LMU) def. Eduardo Cabrera/Adria Elduque (VIS) 8-5
3. Daniel Butcher/Yusuke Matsuoka (VIS) def. Stefan Hall/Carlos Zunino (LMU) 9-8