MARS HILL, N.C. -- The Mars Hill Lions (4-4, 4-2 SAC) used a 7-0 run from the tail end of the third period until the early stages of the fourth stanza and nine combined goals from Jimmy McBride and Saxon Weil to defeat the Railsplitters (2-9, 0-7 SAC) 16-7 in South Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse action on Saturday in Mars Hill, N.C.
 
Ryan Young (Mukwonage, Wis.) and Billy Kopsky (Smithtown, N.Y.) paced Lincoln Memorial for the second consecutive match, tallying two markers apiece. Young accounted for that number off of four shots and four shots on goal, while Kopsky posted a team-best six shots and eight ground-ball recoveries. Jusstin Ruffin (Copiague, N.Y.) handed out three assists, while Dylan Neisler (Detroit, Mich.), Josh Hernandez (Middletown, N.Y.) and Justin Stewart (Copiague, N.Y.) collected a goal apiece.
 
Kyle Fleck (Toledo, Ohio) matched Kopsky for the game-high mark with eight ground-ball pickups, pacing the Railsplitters to a 38-36 advantage over the Lions in that department. Hernandez chipped in with seven ground balls. It was the second-most ground balls for the Railsplitters this season, trailing only Wednesday's win over CSU-Pueblo.
 
Weil opened the match with three consecutive goals, scoring at the 12:15, 10:21 and 3:00 marks to bury the Railsplitters in an early 3-0 hole. Kopsky ended that Mars Hill run and put the Railsplitters on the board with a goal at the 2:38 mark of the opening period, coming just five seconds after recovering a ground ball at the point of attack.
 
Kopsky gathered another ground ball and found Young for a goal with less than four minutes gone in the second period, cutting the deficit to 3-2. But Mars Hill closed the half with another 3-0 flurry, paced by a goal and an assist from Anthony Malcom, to send the Lions into the break with a 6-2 edge.
 
The Lions' lead ballooned to 7-2 on a Brian Pieklik goal with 8:40 left in the third period, but Young and Kopsky tallied markers just 32 seconds apart to trim the lead back to 7-4 with 6:40 remaining in the quarter.
 
It's at that moment that the match got away from the Railsplitters, as Mars Hill ripped off seven unanswered goals to turn the contest into a complete runaway. Nathan Stewart kick started the rally with goal at the 5:34 mark, while McBride accounted for the next three goals, with the final marker of that solo 3-0 run coming at the 13:28 mark of the fourth stanza. The Lions then got goals from Weil, Stewart and Dima Ferriera to catapult their advantage to 14-4 with 9:41 left in regulation.
 
Stewart ended that outburst with a man-up goal at the 7:48 mark, assisted on by Ruffin, but Mars Hill scored twice more to make a comeback attempt virtually impossible. Hernandez and Neisler tallied the final two goals of the match to close the final margin to 16-7.
 
Mars Hill finished with a 43-26 advantage in shot attempts and a 27-20 edge in shots on goal. The Railsplitters committed 20 turnovers to 14 miscues for Mars Hill. Lincoln Memorial went 10-for-16 in clears, while the Lions were 18-for-22 in that same department. Hernandez led the Railsplitters to a 16-for-26 advantage at the faceoff "X".
 
Joe Medel (Virginia Beach, Va.) collected 11 saves and allowed a season-high 14 goals in a shade under 52 minutes between the pipes. Mars Hill's Jack Grinewich posted 11 saves and allowed five goals in 53 minutes of action.
 
McBride led Mars Hill with five goals, 12 shots and eight shots on goal, while Weil posted four goals, seven shots and six shots on goal.
 
The Railsplitters return to the LMU Lacrosse Complex on Wednesday to host the North Greenville Crusaders in NCAA Division II action, with first faceoff set for 4 p.m.