HARROGATE, Tenn. – Timmy Wages (Molin, Ill.) homered in each game and drove in five runs on the day as the Railsplitters (17-15, 8-4 SAC) split Saturday's doubleheader against Catawba to knock the Indians (21-9, 11-4 SAC) from atop the South Atlantic Conference standings.
Catawba won the first game 10-7 behind Kyle Smith's 4-for-4 and Nick Coble's 2-for-5, three-RBI performances. Both players homered as the Indians racked up 17 total hits. Wages,
Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa),
Muta Crusoe (Bellwood, Ill.) and
Nate Stinson (Jonesboro, Ga.) all homered for the Railsplitters.
Lincoln Memorial bounced back to take the second game 9-3 behind home runs from Wages,
Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and
Russell Clark (Wexford, Pa.). The victory gave the Railsplitters just their second series victory over Catawba and first since 2014.
The Railsplitters next head on the road for to Bristol, Tenn. for a game at King Wednesday before traveling to Greeneville, Tenn. Friday and Saturday for a three-game showdown at SAC-leading Tusculum.
Game One: Catawba 10, Lincoln Memorial 7
The high-powered Indians offense staked Hunter Shepherd to an early lead, and the lefty shut down Lincoln Memorial's offense, allowing just three runs (one earned) in 5.2 innings. His only mistake was on Stinson's two-run homer in the fourth. He struck out six and improved to 4-0 on the year.
Meanwhile,
Ethan Elliott (Knoxville, Tenn.) struggled, allowing seven runs (four earned) in four-plus innings as he fell to 3-3. He walked a season-high three batters and allowed eight hits, including a two-run shot to Coble. The home run was his first allowed since a Malachi Hanes shot at Catawba March 19, 2016—a span of 14 starts and 88.2 innings
Smith, Jacob Nester and Chance Bowden combined for 10 of the Indians' 17 hits. Smith went 4-for-4 with a double and solo homer, while Nester and Bowden each went 3-for-5. Coble also added a two-run shot as part of a three-RBI game.
The Railsplitters churned out 11 hits, including two each from Wages, Kalman and
Seth Hunt (Knoxville, Tenn.). Wages, Crusoe and Stinson drove in two runs apiece.
Catawba kicked off the scoring with five runs in the third as the team batted around. Smith singled to lead off the inning, and the next two Indians also reached to load the bases. Luke Setzer's sac fly drove in Smith, and Jeremy Simpson plated the next two with a triple to right center. Zach Almond then added another sac fly to bring in Simpson. Coble later laced an RBI single to bring in the fifth run.
The Railsplitters scored all three of their runs off Shepherd in the bottom of the fourth. A throwing error by Simpson allowed the first run to score, and Stinson's two-run homer cut the deficit to 5-3.
Elliott faced two batters in the fifth and allowed a Bowden leadoff single and Coble's two-run homer before being pulled.
Nester added an RBI single in the seventh to increase the Catawba lead to 8-3.
Augustine's solo home run in the seventh kick started another Railsplitter rally. Two batters later, Wages belted a two-run homer. Crusoe hit a solo shot two batters later to make the score 8-7.
Wages narrowly missed hitting a go-ahead homer in the bottom of the eighth, as the ball went just foul beyond the left field foul pole. He would go on to strike out looking to conclude a scoreless eighth.
Catawba added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Smith homered to lead off the inning, and Setzer singled to bring in the other run.
Lincoln Memorial went 1-2-3 in the ninth as Bryan Blanton earned his sixth save of the season.
Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 9, Catawba 3
Wages put the Railsplitters on the board early with a three-run shot—his third home run in as many games against the Indians. A sac fly by Clark brought in another run in the third, and Kalman's first home run of the season two batters later increased the Railsplitter lead to 6-0.
Malachi Hanes doubled in Almond in the fourth for Catawba' first run.
Clark homered to left center in the fifth to make the score 7-1.
Smith doubled in Almond in the sixth to knock
Dominic Morabito (Vienna, Va.) from the game. He came around to score on Coble's double three batters later.
Cody Hinson (Taylor Ridge, Ill.) retired the final two batters of the inning to work out a jam with runners on second and third.
Morabito improved to 4-2 on the year as he allowed three runs (two earned) in five-plus innings. After walking four Indians in his appearance Friday night, the righty did not issue a free pass in the start and struck out five.
The Railsplitters added two more runs in the sixth, and Hinson worked a scoreless seventh to close out the game.
