Harrogate, TN - After taking two of three games against Wingate last weekend, the Lincoln Memorial baseball team started its three game weekend series with Tusculum on the right foot. As one of the hottest hitting teams in DII baseball, the Railsplitters lived up to the moniker, tallying 14 runs in the winning effort. Through 27 games this season, Lincoln Memorial is outscoring its opposition by an astounding 84 runs, 252-168. With the victory in game one, the Railsplitters improved to 19-8 overall with an 11-5 mark in conference play.
Through the first three innings, it would appear that Lincoln Memorial would run away with the game. However, a late game push from the Pioneers drew the score back to within a respectable margin, but the Railsplitters prevailed 14-9, claiming game one.
After a quiet first inning from both sides,
Collin Goda drove in the games first run doubling to left field, driving in
Sam Mast to take a 1-0 lead. Following a strong defensive stand in the top of the third, Lincoln Memorial added to its lead with a huge third inning. Mast joined the RBI party with a single to left field, driving in
Cameron Bowen and
Carson Boles, giving the Railsplitters a 3-0 lead.
Deatric Alexander Jr. delivered a sac-fly to bring
Tucker Hagan home, extending the lead to 4-0.
Austin Epperson then singled to second, allowing Goda and Mast to round home, extending the Lincoln Memorial lead to 5-0. Each team added one run in the fourth.
Ryan Kurth delivered a sac-fly to bring in
Kasten Harvey, bringing the score to 6-1 after four. Tusculum failed to get anything going in the fifth inning, but Lincoln Memorial kept pouring it on, adding four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding 10-1 lead.
Goda got things started in the fifth with a double that brought home Alexander. Epperson then reached on an error, allowing Goda to round home, extending the Railsplitters' lead to 8-1. Harvey then doubled to center to bring home Epperson, and Boles singled to left to bring home Harvey to give Lincoln Memorial a 10-1 lead. However, from the sixth to eighth inning, Tusculum added eight runs, cutting the deficit to two runs, 11-9. Some late game heroics from Goda allowed the Railsplitters to secure victory. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Goda connected on a three RBI double to left, bringing the score to 14-9, which would be solidified moments later thanks to some stellar pitching and defense in the top of the 9th.
Tusculum: 000 105 030 9 14 2
Lincoln Memorial: 015 140 03x 14 15 4
WP: Pencek (7-0)
LP: Absher (2-5)
