HARROGATE, Tenn. – Aided by their highest run output in a single game in over two years to get the day started, the Lincoln Memorial University baseball team smacked South Atlantic Conference rival Carson-Newman in Harrogate Saturday, defeating the Eagles by a combined 27-11 margin.

An unfathomable 16-0 scoring run catapulted the Railsplitters to a 19-6 Game 1 triumph over their in-state foe, before an 8-5 seven-inning victory in the nightcap gives LMU a shot at a three-game shutout over C-N approaching Sunday's third outing at Lamar Hennon Field.

 
Game 1 – Lincoln Memorial def. Carson-Newman 19-6
 
The afternoon may have ended with runs piling in at every turn, although the weekend started in disastrous fashion for the Railsplitters (8-13, 3-5 SAC), who surrendered five consecutive scores to the Eagles in the very first frame of Game 1. With plenty of time to make up for that lengthy deficit, LMU completely dominated from then on.

Able to get two scores back in the bottom of the first, one on a Tyler Adams double to send Nate Stinson home after a centerfield error, the other sending Adams himself in after a wild pitch, enabled LMU to climb within 5-2. Little did Carson-Newman know, the Railsplitters were moments away from reaching their most productive offensive outing of the season, even eclipsing any performance from the season prior.

The blue and gray suddenly seized the lead for good in the bottom of the third inning after a four-score flurry. Seniors Stinson and Brent Richey both provided RBI doubles in consecutive at-bats to total three runs, while Stinson was able to give LMU their second run via wild pitch of the afternoon to cap off a frantic sequence.

The Eagles (14-8, 4-4 SAC) were utterly shell-shocked after the events of the fourth inning, in which the Railsplitters reeled off 10 unanswered runs, making it a 16-0 burst overall after falling behind early.

After Richey was struck by a pitch with bases loaded, the next five LMU batters contributed to at least one score, the first two coming on ground outs that would send one runner home regardless. A single from Dalton Dedas, followed by a pair of doubles from Scooter Ray and Sam Mast, kept the scoring avalanche rolling with seemingly no end in sight.

A Cameron Bowen single and 3-RBI double from Richey mercifully ended Carson-Newman's nightmare fourth inning with the score reading 16-5 in favor of the Railsplitters.

While the Eagles managed their final run in the top of the fifth, Lincoln Memorial kept their foot on the gas in the bottom of the sixth, landing three more runs for good measure in the blowout victory. A 2-RBI double from Stinson preceded a left field RBI-single from Mast, bringing the run barrage to a close at 19-6.

Securing their highest number of runs in a single game since Feb. 5^th, 2018 in a 21-4 shellacking over Claflin in Orangeburg, S.C., the Railsplitters lit up Carson-Newman for 16 hits, as eight different batters notched at least one. Stinson and Richey added up for nine of the team's 15 RBI, while freshman Max Palmieri found home plate four times in the win.

Sophomore pitcher Patrick Queener grabbed the win on the mound, throwing just over four innings, allowing only four hits next to five strikeouts.
 
Game 2 – Lincoln Memorial def. Carson-Newman 8-5
 
In the shortened Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader, the runs weren't tallied as effortlessly for the Railsplitters, but 11 hits were more than enough for LMU to achieve their sixth straight win over Carson-Newman dating back to the 2018 SAC Tournament.

Just as in the opener, the Eagles gained the upper hand with two scores in the top of the first, although it wouldn't last long, another theme from Game 1 that carried over into the nightcap.

A centerfield triple from Richey brought Palmieri around the diamond for LMU's first run of the contest in the bottom of the first, quickly evening the score at two apiece with a Stinson RBI-single on the next at-bat.

C-N steadily edged back in front thanks to one score each over the next two stanzas, but after a 6-0 Railsplitter burst midway through the game, the Eagles were down and out for the second time on the day.

Lincoln Memorial captured four runs in two plays in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Stinson and freshman Collin Goda mirrored each other with a pair of 2-RBI singles. Not content with a 6-4 advantage, LMU ramped up the offense just a bit more in the fifth frame, putting C-N to bed with two more scores.

Another single from Stinson, his eighth RBI of the afternoon, brought home Zuriel Collins. Adams then reached after a fielding error by the C-N shortstop, bringing Palmieri around the bases for the seventh time Saturday.

By the time Carson-Newman recorded their final run of the day in the top of the sixth on a solo home run, the damage had already been done. Sophomore pitcher Eli Wright was credited with the W in the circle, while Wesley Case recorded the save.

Similar to the Game 1 triumph, the Railsplitters spread the wealth around offensively, with six different batters registering at least one hit, led by four from Stinson, along with two each by Palmieri and Richey.
 
Up Next
 
After perhaps their most complete performance of the season in what was their first win in conference territory in two weeks, Lincoln Memorial stays in Harrogate Sunday for the decisive Game 3 against the Eagles.

The weekend-closing rivalry affair will see its first pitch at 1:00 p.m. from Lamar Hennon Field.
 
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.