Dahlonega, GA - After falling to North Georgia in game one of a four game series, the Lincoln Memorial baseball team was back in action on Saturday looking to bounce back against the Nighthawks in a double-header.
In game two, Lincoln Memorial's offense got to work right away.
Chris Hall led off with a double to left field to put a runner on base. He then stole third on an errant pass to remain in scoring position.
Kasten Harvey stepped to the plate and delivered the first Railsplitters home run of the season, driving in Hall, and giving Lincoln Memorial an early 2-0 lead. North Georgia responded with a home run in the bottom of the inning to draw back to within one run, 2-1, heading into the second inning.
Neither team was able to add to the run total in the second and third innings, leaving the Railsplitters in control 2-1 heading into the fourth. In the top of the fourth,
Alex Kowalski delivered Lincoln Memorial's second home run of the day on a solo shot to left field, extending the Railsplitters lead to 3-1. North Georgia added two runs in the bottom of the inning on sac-flies to tie the game at 3-3. In the top of the fifth inning,
Kevin Fernandez III connected on the third home run of the day for Lincoln Memorial to put the Railsplitters back out from 4-3. The Nighthawks answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to knot the game at 4-4. It was the final run that North Georgia would score in the game.
Both teams failed to add to the run total through the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth inning, forcing the game into extras. In the top of the 10th inning, Kowalski once again delivered for Lincoln Memorial, connecting on a 2RBI single to drive in
Austin Epperson and Harvey, giving the Railsplitters a 6-4 lead.
Aiden Carter and the Lincoln Memorial defense stood tall in the bottom of the 10th, holding North Georgia off the board to secure a 6-4 victory in the first game of the double-header.
Alex Kowalski led the Lincoln Memorial offense with two hits and 3RBI, including one home run.
Kasten Harvey added three hits and 2RBI, including a home run.
Kevin Fernandez III added one RBI on a solo shot home run.
Archer Wong-Shasteen added two hits and
Chris Hall added one hit.
Jack Santi got the start on the mound, pitching four innings allowing three hits, three runs, and three earned runs with four walks and two strikeouts.
Cooper Jones pitched 1.1 innings in relief, allowing four hits, one run, and one earned run with no walks and no strikeouts.
Aiden Carter pitched the final 4.2 innings, allowing three hits, zero runs, and zero earned runs with two walks and three strikeouts. He was credited with the win.
WP: Carter (1-0)
LP: Hickman (0-1)
LMU: 200 110 000 2 6 9 1
NG: 100 210 000 0 4 10 0
LMU: Santi, Jones, and Carter
NG: Heard, Courtney, Stinson, Alexander, Hickman, Taylor, and Hubbard
In game three (game two of the double-header) Lincoln Memorial came out fast offensively, taking a 1-0 lead when
Sam Mast connected on a single to left field to drive in Kowalski. North Georgia responded with a run in the bottom of the inning on a passed ball to knot the score 1-1. The Nighthawks added two runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 3-1 lead. Neither team added to the run total in the third or fourth innings, leaving North Georgia in control 3-1. The Railsplitters were unable to add any runs in the fifth inning, allowing the Nighthawks to extend their lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the inning scoring on an error.
After taking over on offense, Lincoln Memorial failed to score in the sixth inning. North Georgia extended its lead in the bottom of the sixth on a fielder's choice to take a 5-1 lead and continued to grow the lead, taking an 8-1 advantage heading into the seventh inning. Each team held the other scoreless in the seventh inning, leaving the Nighthawks in control, 8-1, heading into the eighth inning. The Railsplitters began to claw back in the top of the eighth inning. Kowalski delivered a 2RBI single to center field, driving in Harvey and Hall to cut the lead to 8-3.
Archer Wong-Shasteen cut into the deficit even further, connecting on a 2RBI single to left field, driving in
Austin Epperson and Mast to draw the score back to within three runs, 8-5, heading into the bottom of the eighth. The Railsplitters held the Nighthawks off the board in the eighth inning to give themselves a fighting chance with one more inning remaining. With two outs,
Chris Hall was able to get on base with a single to center field, allowing Kowalski to cut the North Georgia lead to 8-7 with a 2RBI double to left field, driving in Harvey and Mast, However, Lincoln Memorial was unable to complete the comeback, seeing North Georgia take game three of the four game series and game two of the double-header. With the split, Lincoln Memorial moved to 1-2 on the season. Game four will be played on Sunday at 1 PM with the Railsplitters seeking to even the series 2-2.
Carter White got the start on the mound in game two of the double-header, pitching 1.1 innings, allowing no hits, three runs, and two earned runs with four walks and a strikeout.
Colin Murphy pitched 4.0 innings in relief, allowing four hits, four runs, and three earned runs with four walks and three strikeouts.
Layndon Carter pitched .2 innings, allowing two hits, one run, and one earned run with one walk and no strikeouts.
Easton Barnett pitched 2.0 innings, allowing one hit, zero runs, and zero earned runs with two walks and two strikeouts.
WP: Earndhardt (1-0)
SP: Taylor
LP: White (0-1)
LMU: 100 000 042 7 8 3
NG: 120 014 000 8 7 2
LMU: White, Murphy, Carter, Barnett
NG: Earnhardt, Thiel, Harris, Hubbard, Taylor (S).
