SALISBURY, N.C. – Chance Bowden hammered a two-run home run - his second of the game - in the bottom of the eighth to stun the Railsplitters (12-10, 9-6 SAC) and help the Catawba Indians (19-4, 11-3 SAC) complete the three-game sweep with an 8-7 win in South Atlantic Conference action on Sunday in Salisbury, N.C.
Lincoln Memorial took the early lead as
Scott Miller (Knoxville, Tenn.) doubled and scored on a
Jonathan Lowe (Sidney, Ohio) single in the top of the first, but Catawba answered emphatically in the home half of that inning. The Indians put their first five runners on base and knotted the game at 1-1 on a Will Albertson single. A Craig Brooks single gave the Indians the lead, and Catawba added another run on a groundout in the next at-bat.
Bowden concluded the six-run explosion with a three-run homer, staking Catawba to a 6-1 advantage.
LMU starter
Wes Todd (Thompson Station, Tenn.) settled in after that rough inning and the Railsplitters worked their way back into the game.
Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) homered to lead off the top of the second to trim the deficit to 6-2, and Miller went yard to kick-start a four-run rally in the top of the third.
After Miller's dinger,
Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa) reached on a throwing error with two outs, Kalman singled and
Kelvin Brito (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) walked to load the bases.
Ryan Burlison (Romeoville, Ill.) was plunked by a pitch to send another run in, while an infield error trimmed the margin back to 6-5.
Wes Neiderland (Thompson Station, Tenn.) knotted the game with an RBI single to cap the frame.
The game remained tied over the next three frames until Burlison broke the stalemate with a solo home run in the top of the seventh, giving the Railsplitters a brief 7-6 cushion. The Railsplitters threatened to add more runs in the inning as
Jean Rodriguez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) singled and Catawba committed an error to put a runner on third base, but Miller lined out to end the inning.
Todd sat the heart of Catawba's order down in order in the bottom of the seventh, but Dylan Richardson led off the bottom of the eighth with a double. Bowden then stepped to the plate serving as the potential game-winning run, and he came through with a two-run home run to right center field to catapult Catawba in front 8-7.
The Railsplitters went down in 1-2-3 order in the top of the ninth, ending Catawba's three-game sweep.
Lincoln Memorial falls to 5-30 in the all-time series against Catawba, slipping to 2-16 in Salisbury, N.C. in the aftermath of the sweep.
Neiderland, Miller, Kalman and Rodriguez all finished with two hits apiece as the Railsplitters tallied 11 hits in the contest.
Todd allowed seven earned runs and 10 hits in seven innings on the mound. He struck out three and walked three in the no decision.
Nick Morabito (Vienna, Va.) was saddled with the loss after serving up Bowden's two-run dinger, falling to 3-1 on the season.
The Railsplitters head to Wise, Va. on Wednesday for a twinbill against the UVA-Wise Cavaliers.
