HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Railsplitters (23-12) and Bellarmine Knights (14-14) combined for 46 runs while splitting a nonconference doubleheader at Lamar Hennon Field on Tuesday. Lincoln Memorial used a big first inning to win 12-8 in game one, but Bellarmine bounced back with a 15-11 win in game two to secure the split.
 
Barring inclement weather, the Railsplitters head to Frankfurt, Kentucky on Wednesday for a nonconference game at Kentucky State beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 12, Bellarmine 8
 
The Knights scored three runs in the top of the first, but the Railsplitters answered with six runs in the home half of that frame and never looked back in the 12-8 triumph.
 
Lincoln Memorial scattered 13 hits with five doubles, an effort that was fueled by Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa) and Wes Neiderland (Thompson Station, Tenn.). Augustine went 3 for 3 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored, while Neiderland went 3 for 4 with three RBI and two runs. Danny Valdez (Orlando, Fla.) also had a double with a pair of RBI.
 
Pete Pratti (Knoxville, Tenn.) was the recipient of all that run support, improving to 2-1 on the season after tossing five innings and allowing 10 hits and four earned runs. Chase Randolph (Harriman, Tenn.) was lockdown in relief, allowing just one hit without a run over two innings of work.
 
After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first, the Railsplitters unloaded on the Knights in the bottom of that inning, batting around and scoring six runs to take a lead that they would not relinquish. Lincoln Memorial's first five batters reached in that frame, with Augustine plating the first run with an RBI single. Peyton Sawyer (Knoxville, Tenn.), Joe Stucky (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Valdez also recorded run-scoring hits in the inning, with Valdez's two-run double capping the scoring barrage.
 
With the score holding at 7-5 in favor of the home team, the Railsplitters added two insurance runs in the bottom of the third on an RBI single from HD Dillard (Woodstock, Ga.) and an RBI double from Augustine.
 
Lincoln Memorial pushed its lead to 12-6 in the bottom of the fifth on run-scoring singles from Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Neiderland.
 
The Knights would trim two runs off of the Railsplitters' final margin of victory by bringing two runs home in the top of the sixth, as Cole Metcalfe singled in a run before Jes Staples scored on a passed ball.
 
Yancey Pritchett took the loss for Bellarmine, as he was pulled from the game after recording just one out in the bottom of the first. He served up three hits and five runs during his short stint to fall to 0-1 on the season.
 
The Knights produced 11 hits in the contest, led by Griffin Neuer's 3 for 4 effort. Metcalfe had three RBI.
 
Game Two: Bellarmine 15, Lincoln Memorial 11
 
The Railsplitters were in control going into the fourth inning, but Bellarmine scored eight runs in that frame to swing the momentum. Lincoln Memorial would later fight back to tie the game before the Knights pulled away again in the sixth to escape with the split.
 
The Railsplitters posted 12 hits with seven coming from the one through three hitters in the order. Rodriguez went 3 for 6 with three runs scored, Dillard went 2 for 6 with two RBI and two runs scored, and Augustine finished 2 for 3 with an RBI, two walks and two runs. Sawyer also finished with two hits, three RBI and two walks.
 
Both Lincoln Memorial and Bellarmine used four pitchers in the contest.
 
Matt Mullenbach (Urbandale, Iowa) was handed the loss after allowing two hits and three runs with three walks in one inning of relief, falling to 0-4 on the season as a result.
 
Neuer, who also went 2 for 5 at the plate, earned the win for the Knights after limiting the Railsplitters to just one hit in 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. He walked five and struck out three over that span.
 
The Railsplitters entered the fourth sporting a 5-1 lead after scoring three in the first and two in the second, but Bellarmine sent 12 hitters to the plate in their half of the fourth and scored eight runs to catapult in front. Run-scoring hits from Jes Staples, Metcalfe, Zac Wiley, Brady Pfaadt and Michael Belliveau highlighted that inning for the Knights.
 
Facing an 11-6 deficit, the Railsplitters fought back to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth with a five-run rally. Valdez drew a walk and Rodriguez singled to spark the inning, while Dillard drove in two runs with a double to make it 11-8. An RBI groundout by Neiderland followed by a run-scoring single from Russell Clark (Wexford, Pa.) pulled Lincoln Memorial within one at 11-10 before Sawyer tied the game with a two-out double down the right-field line.
 
The game was tied for a brief time, though, as the Knights scored four runs in the sixth to put LMU away for good. A single and two walks loaded the bases with no outs for Bellarmine, while a wild pitch brought the eventual game-winning run home. The Knights added three more runs for good measure on a two-run single by Alex Phillips and an RBI single by Metcalfe.
 
The Railsplitters loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh to bring the potential tying run to the plate, but Rodriguez struck out and Dillard flew out to left to end the game.