HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- The Cobras hung up a seven-spot in the bottom of the fourth inning while Coker (25-16, 10-9 SAC) starting pitcher Dallas Baldwin threw a complete-game, five-hitter to take down the Railsplitters (25-16, 10-9 SAC) 9-1 in the first of a three-game South Atlantic Conference baseball series on Friday afternoon in Hartsville, South Carolina.
 
Lincoln Memorial, which dropped to 3-9 in its last 12 games following the loss, was completely baffled by Baldwin, who recorded seven strikeouts and allowed just five hits over nine innings of work to improve to 5-3 on the season. Baldwin retired 15 of the last 16 batters he faced in the contest.
 
On the other side, Lincoln Memorial's junior right-hander Brandon Jean (Franklin, Tenn.) had a day to forget, allowing 11 hits and seven earned runs before being chased from the game after only 3 2/3 innings of work, falling to 3-3 on the season. Jake Watkins (Powder Springs, Ga.) was steady in relief, giving up just four hits and one unearned run in 3 2/3 innings, but the damage was already done.
 
Jean Rodriguez (Caguas, Puerto Rico), Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Russell Clark (Wexford, Pa.), Joe Stucky (Powell, Tenn.) and Danny Valdez (Orlando, Fla.) each had hits for the Railsplitters, with Clark recording a double and Valdez notching a triple. Rodriguez had the lone RBI of the game.
 
The Railsplitters matched a season-high mark by committing five errors in the contest.
 
The Cobras grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, when Will Winslow and Jack Leech doubled in back-to-back at-bats with two outs.
 
The Railsplitters left the bases loaded in the top of the third, while Coker blew the game wide open in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of three LMU errors and amassing seven hits to put seven runs on the board. Miguel Frias opened the scoring in that inning with an RBI double, while Winslow slashed a two-run single later in the inning. Darius Coldiron completed the scoring with an RBI single, which put the Cobras in front 8-0.
 
Lincoln Memorial got a run back in the top of the fifth, as Valdez led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly out from Rodriguez. That would be the extent of the Railsplitters' offensive production, though, as Lincoln Memorial would put just one runner on base the rest of the game and that came on an inconsequential single by Kalman with two outs in the top of the eighth.  
 
Coker, meanwhile, put the final nail in the coffin in the bottom of the eighth, when Winslow singled and scored on a base knock from Coldiron.
 
Winslow and Coldiron led the Cobras' 15-hit attack, as both of those guys went 3 for 5 at the plate with a pair of RBI. AJ Strnad, Leech and Frias also added two hits apiece.
 
The Railsplitters and Cobras will complete their three-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.