HARROGATE, Tenn. – Lincoln Memorial split Saturday's doubleheader against Coker College to conclude the teams' three-game South Atlantic Conference series. The Cobras (12-6, 4-2 SAC) took two of three overall to win the series.
 
The Railsplitters (8-11, 3-3 SAC) won the first game 5-3 behind Ethan Elliott's (Knoxville, Tenn.) exceptional outing. The sophomore lefty tossed his second career nine-inning complete game, allowing just two earned runs and striking out nine.
 
In the rubber match, Lincoln Memorial took an early 4-0 lead courtesy of Timmy Wages (Molin, Ill.) and Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa) home runs, but the Cobras scored six unanswered runs to win 6-4. AJ Strnad lined a two-run home run over the left field wall to kick-start the comeback.
 
The Railsplitters next travel to Louisville, Ky. Tuesday for a midweek nonconference doubleheader at Bellarmine.
 
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 5, Coker 3
 
Elliott bounced back from his uncharacteristically rough start at Brevard to pick up his second win of the season. He went the distance and allowed just three runs (two earned) and seven hits.
 
Tanner Crosby was the only player to give Elliott and the Railsplitters fits, going 2-for-4 with a double and two-run single. That double served as the team's only extra base hit.
 
At least one Railsplitter reached base in every inning. Wages reached base four times to lead the way, logging three hit-by-pitches and a walk. Augustine, Seth Hunt (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Tyler Adams (Woodstock, Ga.) also recorded two hits apiece.
 
Four different Railsplitters also stole a base.
 
Coker jumped out in front 2-0 in the second, recording three of their seven hits in the inning. Thomas Lopez reached on an error to lead off the inning. After a strikeout, Bryson Conner and Brooks Estrada knocked singles to load the bases. That brought up Crosby, who laced a third consecutive single to drive in two runs.
 
Lincoln Memorial took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with three runs of its own. Nate Stinson (Jonesboro, Ga.) doubled in the first run, and AJ Weed (Hendersonville, Tenn.) drove in the tying run on an RBI groundout. Seth Hunt (Knoxville, Tenn.) then doubled to center to break the tie.
 
Darius Coldiron tied the game again with an RBI single.
 
The Railsplitters re-took the lead in the seventh inning on Tyler Adams' (Woodstock, Ga.) infield single to score Russell Clark (Wexford, Pa.). Clark doubled in Augustine an inning later to add an insurance run.
 
Coker got the tying run to the plate twice in the top of the ninth courtesy of an Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) error, but Elliott retired Crosby and Clint Allen to finish off his complete game.
 
Game Two: Coker 6, Lincoln Memorial 4
 
Wages' three-run home run in the first marked the second time in the series and 12th time in 19 games Lincoln Memorial scored in the first inning. The loss dropped the team to 3-9 in such games.
 
Augustine led off the third inning with another home run to increase the Railsplitter lead to 4-0.
 
The Cobras out-hit the Railsplitters 9-to-5. Similar to the first game of the series Coker also came up with much timelier hits. Lincoln Memorial went just 1-for-10 with runners on base, including 0-for-9 following Wages' home run, and 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. That only hit was also Wages' home run. Meanwhile, Coker hit 4-for-9 with runners on base and 3-for-7 when those runners were in scoring position.
 
Dominic Morabito (Vienna, Va.) made just his second career start on the mound for the Railsplitters and first of 2017. He tossed three scoreless innings before allowing Strnad's two- run homer in the fourth. Morabito's evening was done after Lopez followed with a single. He allowed two runs and five hits in three innings, striking out three.
 
Ryan Lybrand tied the game the following inning with a two-run single off Cody Hinson (Taylor Ridge, Ill.).
 
Coker took the lead in the sixth with its third straight two-run inning. Conner started the rally with a single and stole second before scoring the go-ahead on an Estrada double. Augustine relieved Chase Randolph (Harriman, Tenn.), but allowed Allen to single to score Estrada.
 
Freshman Matt Ticer pitched the final four innings in relief for the Cobras to pick up his first career win. He struck out two and only allowed a pair of singles.
 
Weed singled in the bottom of the seventh for one of those hits, but Hunt followed by grounding into a double play to end the game.