MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Lincoln Memorial's miraculous postseason run came to an end Saturday at Scarborough Field as the Railsplitters (35-19) were eliminated from the 2017 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional by Catawba (39-16) 8-2. The Indians advance to face top-seeded and host Mount Olive for the right to play in the regional championship against North Georgia, while Lincoln Memorial's season comes to an end.
Lincoln Memorial took a 2-0 lead in the first off Catawba starter Nick Coble without ever putting the ball in play. He walked four straight batters to bring in the first run and uncorked a wild pitch that brought home another. He also struck out the side in the inning.
Coble did not walk another batter until the seventh inning. The righty held the Railsplitters to just the two runs on three hits in 6.1 innings, walked five and struck out eight.
Catawba scattered 12 hits, including two apiece by Chance Bowden, Hunter Shepherd and Jeremy Simpson. Malachi Hanes hit a three-run homer and drove in four for the game. Zach Almond went 1-for-2 with three walks and scored twice.
Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa) finished with two of Lincoln Memorial's four hits, including the team's only extra-base hit—a ground-rule double in the fifth. He also walked, stole a base and scored a run.
The rest of the team hit just 2-for-29.
Nate Stinson (Jonesboro, Ga.) and
Seth Hunt (Knoxville, Tenn.) singled in the second inning for the only other two hits.
Matt Mullenbach (Urbandale, Iowa) made it through three no-hit innings before allowing three runs in the fourth and departed with two runners on in the fifth that both scored on Hanes' three-run homer off
Cody Hinson (Taylor Ridge, Ill.). Mullenbach finished the day with five runs allowed in 4.1 innings. He allowed six hits, walked five and struck out three.
Chase Randolph (Harriman, Tenn.) held the Indians to just one single over 3.2 innings of relief to finish off the game.
Hanes brought in Catawba's first run in the fourth on a groundout back to Mullenbach. Back-to-back singles by Jackson Raper and Simpson each brought in runs to put the Indians ahead for good at 3-2.
Almond walked and Bowden singled in the fifth to force Mullenbach to depart. Hinson came on to face Hanes, who belted a three-run shot to right.
Luke Setzer tripled in another run in the sixth, and Kyle Smith hit a sac fly to left to score him for the team's eighth and final run.
Lincoln Memorial finishes its season with 35 wins, which is the second-best total in program history behind the 1996 squad. The team lost out on winning its first regular season title in the South Atlantic Conference but swept its way through the conference tournament to earn a berth in the Southeast Regional. There, the Railsplitters eliminated Georgia College and UNC Pembroke for the program's first NCAA tournament wins.
