HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Redshirt-sophomore Mason Ewers (Kingsport, Tenn.) hit a pair of home runs to help the Railsplitters (15-6, 7-2 SAC) split a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader with the Wingate Bulldogs (15-9, 2-4 SAC) on Saturday at Lamar Hennon Field. Lincoln Memorial captured a 12-4 win in game one to clinch its third straight SAC series, but fell 11-0 in game two to snap a four-game league winning streak.
 
The Railsplitters return to action on Tuesday, March 15 when they welcome the King Tornado to Lamar Hennon Field in the finale of a six-game homestand. First pitch in that contest is set for 2 p.m.
 
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 12, Wingate 4
 
Ewers hit three-run home runs in both the second and third innings to power an LMU offense that racked up 15 hits and raced away from the Bulldogs to clinch the series win.
 
Ewers finished 2-for-4 at the plate with six RBI and pushed his team-leading home run total to seven. Jean Rodriguez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while HD Dillard (Woodstock, Ga.) also went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a home run. Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Wes Neiderland (Thompson Station, Tenn.) added two hits apiece to the Railsplitters' attack.
 
Freshman right-hander Ethan Elliott (Knoxville, Tenn.) remained perfect on the mound, improving to 5-0 after allowing just four earned runs and nine hits with four strikeouts over six innings of work. Chase Randolph (Harriman, Tenn.) absolutely dazzled over the final three frames, holding the Bulldogs without a hit while recording five strikeouts to pick up the save.
 
The Bulldogs scored first on a Colby Barnette sacrifice fly out in the top of the first, but the Railsplitters came unglued with a six-run outburst in the bottom of the second, taking the lead for good in that frame. Ewers put Lincoln Memorial ahead with his first three-run bomb, while Dillard concluded the scoring with a two-run homer down the left-field line.
 
Wingate trimmed the lead to 6-2 in the top of the third with an RBI single by Zach Little, but Ewers hit another three-run homer in the home half of that inning to push the Railsplitters in front 9-2.
 
Barnette and Turgeon both hit solo home runs in the top of the sixth to close the gap to 9-4, but that would be the last bit of scoring for the Bulldogs, while LMU would add to its lead with a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
 
Randolph set all nine Wingate batters he faced down in order to finish off the 12-4 victory for the Railsplitters.
 
Wingate used six pitchers in the contest, with Kory Behenna taking the loss after serving up four hits and five runs in 1 1/3 innings of work. Little went 3-for-5 at the plate to lead the Bulldog offense, while Shane Billings went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
 
Game Two: Wingate 11, Lincoln Memorial 0
 
Three Wingate pitchers combined to two-hit the Railsplitters' potent offensive attack, while the Bulldogs racked up 10 runs through the first three innings to salvage the series with an 11-0 win.
 
Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa) recorded the only two hits of the game for Lincoln Memorial, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
 
Like the Bulldogs in game one, the Railsplitters needed six pitchers to make it through the contest. Matt Mullenbach (Urbandale, Iowa) was saddled with the loss, as he was chased from the game after giving up three runs and two hits without recording an out in the top of the first.
 
Brandon Donahue picked up the win for Wingate after limiting the Railsplitters to one hit without a run over five innings of work. Donahue, Cameron Price and Tyler Brown combined for seven strikeouts and only one walk.
 
Wingate scored three runs in the top of the first, highlighted by RBI singles from Barnette and Bradley Brown. The Bulldogs then tacked on three more runs in the top of the second on a solo shot by Andrew Llewellyn and a two-run homer by Bill Krebs.
 
Krebs would go deep again in the top of the fifth to complete the scoring for the Bulldogs in their 11-0 triumph.
 
Prior to that, Wingate scored four runs in the third frame, paced by a two-run home run from Billings.
 
The Bulldogs finished with 16 hits in the game, led by Barnette's 4-for-5 showing that included two RBI and a run scored. Krebs was 3-for-4 with three RBI and four runs scored, while Billings, Brown and Turgeon added two hits apiece.
 
With the win in game one, Lincoln Memorial takes the regular-season series from Wingate for the second consecutive year and improves to 10-22 in the all-time series.