SALISBURY, N.C. -- The Railsplitters' (17-8, 8-4 SAC) bats went silent on Saturday in Salisbury, N.C., as the Catawba Indians (15-11, 7-5 SAC) swept a doubleheader at Newman Park to hand Lincoln Memorial its first South Atlantic Conference series loss of the 2016 campaign. Catawba - the reigning NCAA Division National Championship runners-up - captured a 7-2 win in Saturday's opener to draw the series even before taking game two by a final of 9-1 to complete the series victory.
 
The Railsplitters return to action on Wednesday, March 23, when they travel to Rome, Ga. to face the Shorter Hawks at 6 p.m.
 
Game One: Catawba 7, Lincoln Memorial 2
 
Malachi Hanes almost single-handedly carried Catawba to victory in the day's first game, driving in six runs with a pair of two-run home runs, fronting an Indians' offensive attack that racked up 10 hits.
 
The Railsplitters were limited to just five hits in the contest. Wes Neiderland (Thompson Station, Tenn.) went 2-for-3 with a home run and double, while HD Dillard (Woodstock, Ga.) went 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of singles. Russell Clark (Wexford, Pa.) added the only other hit of the game for Lincoln Memorial, going 1-for-3 with a single and a walk.
 
Freshman left-hander Ethan Elliott (Knoxville, Tenn.) was saddled with his first loss of the season, snapping a streak of five straight winning starts after allowing 10 hits and seven earned runs with five strikeouts in seven innings of work. The Knoxville, Tenn. native slips to 5-1 on the season in the wake of the defeat.
 
Along with Hanes, who went 3-for-6 at the plate with two runs scored, Will Albertson went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Jeremy Simpson recorded a pair of singles.
 
Catawba starter Russ Weiker kept the Railsplitters mostly in check over his eight-inning start, allowing just five hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts to improve to 6-2 on the season. He walked four and hit a batter over that span as well.
 
The Indians took the lead right from the get go, as Hanes hit the first of two two-run dingers in the bottom of the first to put Catawba ahead 2-0.
 
Neiderland cut the deficit in half in the top of the second, though, leading off with a solo shot to straightaway center field, his third home run of the season.
 
The score held steady at 2-1 in favor of Catawba until the top of the fourth, when Neiderland drew a one-out walk and came around to score on a fielder's choice by Jean Rodriguez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) to knot the game at 2-2.
 
The game would be tied for only a brief span, though, as Hanes hit another two-run bomb in the bottom of the fourth to propel the Indians back in front 4-2.
 
Hanes would once again victimize the Railsplitters in the bottom of the fifth frame, doubling home a pair of runs to push Catawba's lead to 6-2.
 
The Railsplitters stranded runners on second and third base in the top of the sixth inning, while Catawba added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out, RBI double from Chance Bowden.
 
Lincoln Memorial would be unable to make any noise in the closing innings, going down in order in the eighth and ninth frames, as Catawba sealed the 7-2 victory.
 
Game Two: Catawba 9, Lincoln Memorial 1
 
Neiderland hit his second home run of the doubleheader and fourth of the season, but that would be the extent of the Railsplitters' offensive production. Meanwhile, Catawba racked up 14 hits and scored three runs in both the second and third innings to power the runaway victory.
 
Along with Neiderland, Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Mason Ewers (Kingsport, Tenn.) had singles for the Railsplitters, who finished with just three hits in the game.
 
Simpson and Bowden had three hits apiece for the Indians and combined for five RBI, while Bryce Fowler went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Jake Kimble had two doubles and an RBI, while Albertson added two more hits in the contest.
 
Freshman right-hander Matt Mullenbach (Urbandale, Iowa) fell to 0-3 on the season after allowing six hits and three earned runs over two innings of work. He struck out five and walked three before giving way to Chase Randolph (Harriman, Tenn.), who was solid in three innings of relief. Randolph allowed just three hits and one earned run over that span.
 
Connor Johnson went the distance for Catawba, surrendering just three hits and one earned run with two strikeouts to move to 1-2 on the season.
 
The Railsplitters took the first lead of the game on Neiderland's solo home run in the top of the second, but Catawba went on to score nine unanswered runs to pull away from the visiting team.
 
Catawba scored three runs in the bottom of the second, a rally that was capped by Albertson's two-out, run-scoring single. The Indians then added three more runs in the third stanza on run-scoring knocks from Bowden, Simpson and Kimble.
 
An RBI triple from Dylan Richardson increased the Indians' cushion to 7-1 in the bottom of the fifth, while Bowden and Simpson drove in runs in the bottom of the sixth to complete the scoring for Catawba.
 
Ewers recorded the final hit of the game for the Railsplitters with two outs in the seventh, but was gunned down at second while trying to stretch his single into a double.
 
With the two losses, Lincoln Memorial was denied of its second series win over Catawba and first since 2014.