AIKEN, S.C. – USC Aiken scored four runs without the benefit of a hit in the fifth inning to spoil Lincoln Memorial's 2019 opener with a 6-3 victory on Friday evening at Hernandez Stadium.
The Railsplitters (0-1) dropped their eighth consecutive season-opener while falling to 16-41 all-time against the Pacers (1-0), who Lincoln Memorial has opened its season against every year since 2010.
Nate Stinson and
Brent Richey led the way for the Railsplitters offensively, combining for seven of the team's 12 hits. Stinson went 4-for-5 with two RBI and contributed the only extra-base hit of the day for Lincoln Memorial with a double. Richey went 3-for-5 with an RBI in his LMU debut, while
Tyler Adams added a pair of singles.
Will Reddick,
Chris Salvey and
Marco Rios had a hit and a walk apiece.
Reigning South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year
Ethan Elliott was saddled with the loss despite allowing just two earned runs across 4.1 innings. Elliott gave up six hits and struck out five before being relieved by
Jake Grenus in the Pacers' four-run fifth inning.
The Pacers struck first when Joey Smithers led off the home half of the first inning with a solo homer, but Richey singled home a run in the top of the second before Stinson put the Railsplitters in front with an RBI single in the third.
USC Aiken tied the game on a two-out RBI double by Blake Bottomley in the bottom of the fourth, and then took the lead for good in the fifth frame.
Back-to-back singles and an infield error loaded the bases for the Pacers and chased Elliott from the game with one out in the fifth. Head coach
Jeff Sziksai then turned to his bullpen, which struggled to stop the bleeding.
After Grenus induced an infield fly, the righty promptly walked the next two batters to bring a pair of runs across. Reliever
Devin Morris then came on and allowed two more runs to score via a balk and a wild pitch. Those would be the only runs Morris would give up across 2.1 innings of relief work, but the damage was done.
Lincoln Memorial pushed another run across in the seventh compliments of Stinson's RBI two-bagger, but that was all the visitors would manage the rest of the way.
The Railsplitters had their best chance to rally in the eighth inning when Reddick singled and Adams was hit by a pitch to bring Salvey to the plate representing the tying run. However, the clean-up hitter flew out to center field to end the threat.
Lincoln Memorial outhit the Pacers 12-9, but left 14 runners on base compared to only five for USC Aiken.
Mitch Spence picked up the win with five innings of eight-hit, two-run ball. Smithers, Bottomley and Sean McQuillan had two hits apiece.
Game two of the series is set to get underway at noon back at Hernandez Stadium.
