JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Strong pitching by Carson-Newman University limited the Lincoln Memorial University baseball team Friday afternoon in a South Atlantic Conference road doubleheader at Silver Diamond in Jefferson City, Tennessee. The host Eagles (17-9, 13-6 SAC) tallied 20 strikeouts on the hill en route to a pair of wins, securing at least a series split in the four-game weekend set.
 
Dropping game one 3-1 in a low-scoring affair, the visiting Railsplitters (11-18, 8-14 SAC) were topped 9-3 in game two. LMU was held to 12 hits on the day and left 15 base runners stranded with only three RBI.
 
Game 1 | Carson-Newman 3, LMU 1
Tied with a run apiece for two innings after a Railsplitter RBI double in the top of the third, Carson-Newman got a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth and tacked on an insurance run in the sixth. Both teams made a pair of errors in the field as the seven-inning series opener saw just nine combined hits.
 
Eagle centerfielder Charlie Brown doubled down the right field line on a 1-0 pitch with two outs for an RBI in the bottom of the second inning before LMU responded in the third. Graduate shortstop Zuriel Collins led off the inning with a single to right center field before graduate third baseman Tyler Adams rocked a two-out RBI double to left field on a 1-2 pitch with Collins reaching home plate.
 
After two scoreless innings, Carson-Newman right fielder Jordan Griffin teed off on a two-out, 0-2 pitch to break the 1-1 tie with a solo shot over the center field wall in the bottom of the fifth. Holding the Railsplitters without a hit in the top of the sixth, the Eagles took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on a Tyler Thompson RBI groundout that scored catcher Brendan Krob.
 
Freshman designated hitter Ryan Kurth notched a leadoff single in the top of the seventh and redshirt freshman second baseman Cameron Bowen reached on a fielder's choice, but a groundout and a strikeout ended the game.
 
Brown finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate for Carson-Newman and right-handed pitcher Brayden Coe (4-0) earned a complete game win on the rubber with five strikeouts.
 
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Patrick Queener (0-2) went five complete and also struck out five but took the loss. Redshirt junior righty Ryan Franklin struck out one in an inning of one-hit relief.
 
Game 2 | Carson-Newman 9, LMU 3
The bats were more alive in the afternoon's second game, but the Eagles punched out 15 of 40 LMU batters faced. Lining 10 hits across eight innings, Carson-Newman built a five-run lead through three and extended its advantage to six at 8-2 in the bottom of the fifth before both squads scored in the eighth. The Railsplitters collected eight hits in the outing and Collins attempted a fifth-inning comeback with just his second career homer within 10 days.
 
A three-run, three-hit opening inning gave the hosts a 3-0 lead thanks to a one-out two RBI single through the right side by first baseman Kilian Daughtry and a two-out wild pitch. After LMU connected on its first hit of the contest in the top of the third with back-to-back singles from Bowen and graduate right fielder Brent Richey, the Eagles scored a pair of runs on two hits in the bottom of the inning. Daughtry tripled to right field for an RBI with two outs and Carson-Newman catcher Matt Parkinson tattooed a two-out RBI single to right field the very next at bat.
 
Following a scoreless fourth, Collins took the very first pitch of the fifth over the left center field wall to get the visitors on the board. Back-to-back two-out walks led to a single by redshirt junior first baseman Brandon Parrott, which resulted in an Eagle throwing error during the play allowing Adams to advance to third base and safely cross home plate.
 
Its lead trimmed back down to three at 5-2, Carson-Newman recorded another three-run, three-hit frame in the bottom of the fifth. Leading off with a double and two singles, the Eagles scored their sixth run of the game on a Daughtry RBI single to center field. Two one-out wild pitches then put Carson-Newman up by six before two scoreless innings ensued.
 
A one-out single from Parrott and a two-out RBI single to third base by redshirt sophomore centerfielder Zach Fritts in the top of the eighth gave the Railsplitters their final run of the day and made it 8-3. The Eagles tacked on one last run in the bottom of the eighth on a Thompson sacrifice flyout to left center field. Bowen posted a one-out single up the middle in the top of the ninth and Adams was hit by a pitch with two outs but LMU couldn't get anything else going.
 
Bowen went 3-for-3 at the dish to finish the day 4-for-5 and Bowen was 2-for-5 for the game.
 
Daughtry had a 3-for-4, four RBI, two run performance for Carson-Newman, while third baseman Zach Boze went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and left fielder Gunnar Ricketts 2-for-2 with a trio of runs.
 
Eagle left-handed starter Matt Coles (3-1) threw four complete with four strikeouts and right-handed reliever Tyler Shaver picked up his first save of the year with an impressive nine strikeouts in four and 1/3 innings of relief work.
 
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Evan Porter (3-3) took the loss on the mound with five strikeouts and eight earned runs allowed. Redshirt junior righty reliever Mason Turner struck out one in 2/3 innings of hitless ball and graduate right-hander Kevin Norton fanned two in three innings of relief.
 
Up Next…
The Railsplitters face Carson-Newman in the weekend's second doubleheader Saturday afternoon. First pitch of game one from Silver Diamond in Jefferson City is slated for 12 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 2021 season, including any schedule changes.