HARROGATE, Tenn. – The offense was smoldering for the Lincoln Memorial University baseball team yet again on Wednesday afternoon, polishing off their six-game home stand in style by defeating Kentucky State in non-conference action, 15-3 and 7-1.

The Railsplitters (10-14, 3-6 SAC) decimated the Thorobreds with the bat in their hands, outscoring KSU 22-4 in the Hump Day sweep. Returning to South Atlantic Conference competition over the weekend at Catawba, LMU hits the road for their next four outings having picked up a win in four of their last five appearances.
 
Game 1 – Lincoln Memorial def. Kentucky State 15-3
 
In an occurring theme on Wednesday, Lincoln Memorial started fast on the offensive side of the field, racing out of the gates to score the game's first 11 runs before KSU had a chance to respond. The Railsplitters put together at least three scores in four separate innings on their way to the 12-run blowout.

Thrusting themselves in front by a 4-0 margin in the bottom of the 1^st, LMU put the Thorobreds out of reach early on a three-run homer from shortstop Tyler Adams, his fourth of 2020, with a sacrifice fly tacked on for good measure later in the frame, sending Jacob Critzer home.

Lincoln Memorial nearly did just as much damage in the second period, recording three more runs to give themselves a 7-0 advantage. On Adams' next trip to the plate, the senior sailed in a left field triple that scored Brent Richey and Dalton Dedas. Adams would later reach home himself after a Critzer RBI-double.

The Railsplitters kept their scoring avalanche rolling in the fourth frame with another trio of runs to keep extending what was already a massive lead. Max Palmieri opened up that flurry by reaching on a KSU shortstop fielding error to score a pair of runners, before freshman Collin Goda added on an RBI-single.

In the fifth stanza, Lincoln Memorial brought their commanding lead up to 11-0 after Zuriel Collins drew a walk with all three bases occupied. The Thorobreds managed to score their first run of the day in their next trip, but a 4-0 burst in the bottom of the 6^th handed LMU their largest lead of the afternoon at 15-1.

Two consecutive RBI singles from Mason Kelley and Sam Mast, along with another sacrifice fly to score Critzer, gave the blue and gray that 14-run cushion, and the visitors' final two runs in the top of the seventh would only slightly soften the blow of the double-digit walloping.

With 15 hits in total across Game 1 as a unit, Adams finished his sensational performance by going 3-4 at the plate next to five RBI, while Mast equaled that ratio at bat along with three more RBI. Nine different players would record at least one hit in the win, giving Christian Graf his first victory at the pitching spot in the middle of his debut campaign.
 
Game 2 – Lincoln Memorial def. Kentucky State 7-1
 
The Railsplitters again opened up the second half of the doubleheader on a scoring mission, surging ahead 7-0 before KSU managed their only run of the contest. Five of those runs were achieved over the first three innings, beginning with two in the opening period.

As the lead-off hitter in both outings, Goda was the first to find home plate on a sacrifice fly, before Palmieri did the same after a ground out two batters later.

In Palmieri's next trip at the plate in the second stanza, the freshman drew a bases-loaded walk, handing the Railsplitters a 3-0 lead without picking up a hit to that point.

Falling eight hits shy of their 15-hit output across the opener, LMU wasn't without its offensive highlights, and in the bottom of the third, Adams went deep for the second time on the afternoon on a solo home run to left field.

Kelley's 2-RBI single down left field ballooned the Railsplitters' lead to 6-0, bringing both Mast and Critzer around the diamond. Lincoln Memorial reached its final score of a run-heavy day with Adams doing the damage once more, pounding an RBI-double in the fourth inning.

Altogether, Adams finished his dominant day with a 5-7 performance at bat, landing 8 RBI collectively in the sweep. Richey mirrored Adams' production at the plate in Game 2, also going 2-3.

For the second time on the afternoon, a true freshman pitcher landed his first career victory at the collegiate level, with Matt Grim gaining the W on the mound, striking out two of the four batters he faced.

Thumping the Thorobreds 22-9 in total hits to improve to 27-1 in the all-time series, the Railsplitters will now set their sights on Catawba this weekend in another key South Atlantic Conference scuffle in the Tar Heel State.
 
Up Next
 
It will be a mountainous task for Lincoln Memorial in Salisbury, N.C. on Friday and Saturday, going up against an Indians squad that stands at 19-3 overall next to an 8-1 record in SAC territory. Catawba has emerged victorious in their last four appearances after their lone conference loss to Lenoir-Rhyne, a series in which they won the following two games by a combined 24-8 margin.

Catawba picked up a pair of non-conference W's in their last two outings against Ohio Dominican and California, PA, winning 17-0 and 14-11 respectively. The Railsplitters were able to best the Indians once in a three-game set in Harrogate last season, picking up a thrilling 5-4 victory in a 12-inning Game 2 marathon.

Weather permitting in Salisbury, LMU will duel with Catawba for a 6:00 opening pitch in Friday's Game 1, before turning around for a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.
 
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.