GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tusculum Pioneers (24-8) struck early and held the Railsplitters (21-9) in check to pick up a 7-1 win in an NCAA Division II baseball game on Wednesday evening at Pioneer Park in Greeneville, Tenn.
 
Lincoln Memorial went hitless through the first four innings and finished with just five hits in the game, while Tusculum scored twice in both the first and second inning to power the Pioneers to a mid-week victory over the Railsplitters.
 
All five of the Railsplitters' hits were singles, as Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was the lone LMU player with multiple hits in the contest, going 2 for 4 at the dish. Mason Ewers (Kingsport, Tenn.) went 1 for 3 and drew a walk, while Wes Neiderland (Thompson Station, Tenn.) went 1 for 3 and scored the only run of the game for the Railsplitters. Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa) notched the final hit in the contest for LMU.
 
Freshman right-hander Pete Pratti (Knoxville, Tenn.) made the start for the Railsplitters, but lasted just an inning and two-thirds, as he gave up seven hits and four runs over that span before being replaced by Cody Hinson (Taylor Ridge, Ill.), who went 3 1/3 innings in relief and allowed just three hits and one unearned run. Pratti slipped to 1-1 on the season following the loss.
 
The Pioneers scattered 12 hits in the game, with Dante Key leading the way by going 4 for 5 with three runs and an RBI. Nick Lacina went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI, while Creighton Wilke had two hits and two RBI out of the four-hole.
 
Tusculum starter Cameron Carney was stellar on the mound, providing the Pioneers with seven quality innings. He improved to 4-0 on the season after allowing just three hits and one unearned run with six strikeouts.
 
The Pioneers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Jeremy Glore led off with a triple and Key followed that up with another three-bagger. Key then came around to score on a single by Wilke.
 
Tusculum was back at it again in the bottom of the second, as John Topoleski singled and Zack Finchum tripled to make it 3-0 in favor of the Pioneers. A sacrifice groundout from Tandon Dorn then pushed the Pioneers' lead to 4-0 at the end of two.
 
The Railsplitters did not record their first hit of the game until the top of the fifth, when Neiderland led off with a single into right centerfield. That would eventually lead to a run, too, as Neiderland moved to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out throwing error by the Tusculum third baseman.
 
That would be the end of the Railsplitters' offensive output, though, while Tusculum tacked on three more runs down the closing stretch. Wilke drove in a run with a single in the bottom of the fifth, while Lacina notched a run-scoring single in the seventh. The Pioneers scored their final run of the game that same inning, when a fielder's choice allowed Wilke to cross home.
 
With the loss, Lincoln Memorial slips to 27-31 all-time against Tusculum and extended its losing streak to the Pioneers to four games.
 
The Railsplitters are back in action this Saturday, when they begin a three-game South Atlantic Conference series at Mars Hill with a doubleheader set to get underway at noon.