HARROGATE, Tenn. – An explosive day at the plate guided the Lincoln Memorial University baseball team to a 18-9 victory Wednesday night at Lamar Hennon Field, taking down local Conference Carolinas' foe King University.
 
LMU moves to 4-7 on the season, while King drops to 7-4.
 
The Railsplitters pounded out 21 hits, led by freshman infielder Max Palmieri's 5-for-6 day where the leadoff batter drove in three and scored three times. Classmate catcher Sam Mast was also productive, tallying six RBI on three hits to accompany three runs.
 
LMU played catch-up after the Tornado put up five runs in the opening frame to build a lead, but it was short lived. The Railsplitters got on the board in the second courtesy of junior first baseman Brandon Parrott, who singled, advanced to second on a hit-by-pitch and scored on a single up the middle from sophomore outfielder Scooter Ray.
 
The Blue and Gray took the lead that same inning, scoring six runs on seven hits, including a three-run homer from Mast and two-run shot by senior outfielder Brent Richey. Richey leads the squad with four long balls on the year, having blasted all four in his last six games.
 
The Railsplitters continued to add cushion, plating runs in each the fourth through eighth innings.
 
Mast drove in his fourth run of the day in the fifth, bringing home freshman designated hitter Jacob Critzer, and then scored himself on a Palmieri single. Parrot, Mast, and Palmieri supplied production again in the sixth, as Parrot scored on an infield single from Mast and Palmieri drove in two on a connection to center field.
 
LMU scored three runs again in both the seventh and eighth innings to solidify their lead, collecting season-highs in both runs and hits (21).
 
Redshirt freshman right-hander Alex Brewer picked up his first collegiate win on the mound, tossing two and 1/3 innings, scattering just two hits and allowing no runs. Freshman lefty reliever Matt Grim struck out a team-high fourth in one and 1/3 innings of work, entering in the top of the eighth.
 
Up Next…
The Railsplitters take to the diamond this weekend, heading to Charlotte, North Carolina, to face Queens, a program in just its second season after being added in 2017 and serving as a club team in 2018. The three-game South Atlantic Conference series opener begins Friday, Feb. 21 and will conclude with a twinbill Saturday. Game one of the weekend is slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch Friday, while Saturday's doubleheader is set to get underway at 11 a.m. from Tuckaseegee dream fields.
 
How to Follow
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Railsplitter baseball throughout the 2020 season.