GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Lincoln Memorial University baseball program was able to connect early and often throughout the series opening win, 9-1, over Limestone on Friday night in the Palmetto State.
The Railsplitters (19-15, 9-6 SAC) got out to a hot start, tallying three hits in the first inning alone, and were able to take a 1-0 lead after one on a
Sam Mast RBI single before the Saints were able to get out of the inning.
Patrick Queener got the start on the mound and recorded another spectacular outing, starting by striking out the Limestone side in the first to put the Blue and Gray offense back at the plate.
Tucker Hagan was able to get on after laying down the single to center before being able to swipe second during the next at-bat.
Collin Goda laid down the bat to get the RBI single through the left side with Hagan booking it home to make it 2-0 LMU. Back-to-back RBI singles from
Carson Boles and
Ryan Kurth allowed Lincoln Memorial to extend their lead to 4-0.
The Railsplitters were able to tally another run in the third on an RBI single from Hagan to extend their lead, but Limestone was able to keep the four after an error by the Railsplitter infield allowed the Saints to tag home.
Both pitchers were able to tame the opposing offense, allowing just two combined hits from the top of the fourth to the seventh when the Railsplitters were able to get a runner on early as Kurth was able to get the single down in left center before
Sam Mast tallied his seventh home run of the year on a blast to left field, giving the 'Splitters a 7-1 lead after seven innings.
A pitching change saw Limestone able to force Lincoln Memorial into a three up, three down situation before
Ryan Franklin was able to fan one batter and force the ground outs heading into the ninth.
Kurth lead off the ninth with a single through the right side before Mast was able to tally another big hit with an RBI double to right field allowing Kurth to tag in from second with LMU taking a 8-1 lead. Hagan went onto record another RBI hit with a double to left, allowing Mast to get in from second, extending the Railsplitter lead to 9-1.
Colin Murphy got his second appearance of the season, punching out his first two batters before the Railsplitter defense was able to force the ground out to give Lincoln Memorial the series opener over Limestone, 9-1.
Queener got the win for the 'Splitters, moving to 4-4 on the season, and struck out a career-high 14 batters in the series opener. Offensively,
Sam Mast and
Tucker Hagan powered at the plate. Mast finished the evening going 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs while Hagan recorded a 4-for-5 evening with one run and two RBIs.
Up Next
The Railsplitters and Saints will head back to the diamond on Saturday, April 9 for a doubleheader to complete the series. First pitch is slated for 12:00 p.m. ET in Gaffney, South Carolina.
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 through the 2022 season.
