Jefferson City, TN – After falling 16-1 in seven innings to Carson-Newman in game one on Friday, Lincoln Memorial was seeking to take the last two games of the series and secure the series victory against the Eagles on Saturday.
The Railsplitters wasted no time in getting a jump on the Eagles in game two of the series, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Austin Epperson got things started by blasting a homer to center field to give Lincoln Memorial a quick 1-0 lead.
Joey LaMattina added a hit with a single to give the Railsplitters a runner on base.
Alex Kowalski then laid down a sac-bunt to put LaMattina in scoring position. On the ensuing at-bat,
Sam Mast drove in LaMattina with a single to left field, increasing the Lincoln Memorial lead to 2-0. The Railsplitters' defense held the Eagles off the scoreboard until the fourth inning, when Carson-Newman scored on a wild pitch to cut into the Lincoln Memorial lead, 2-1.
The Railsplitters added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning to give themselves a little breathing room.
Chris Hall reached base on an error by the Eagles' shortstop.
Brooks Hagedorn reached base on catcher's interference, seeing Hall advance to second base.
Kasten Harvey then flew out to right field to advance both Hall and Hagedorn one base. On the following at-bat,
Austin Epperson hit his second home run of the game, however, his second was an inside-the-park home run, driving in Hall and Hagedorn to take a 5-1 lead.
After holding Carson-Newman off the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth, Lincoln Memorial added to its lead with a run in the top of the sixth. Following Hall being walked and Hagedorn singling, Harvey drove in Hall with a double to center field to extend the Railsplitters lead to 6-1. Heading into the bottom of the sixth. Lincoln Memorial held Carson-Newman off the board once again in the bottom of the sixth to remain in control, 6-1, heading into the seventh. After keeping Lincoln Memorial off the board in the top off the inning, the Eagles began to fight back in the bottom of the seventh, adding four runs to cut into the Railsplitters lead, 6-5.
However, Lincoln Memorial didn't allow itself to be deterred, adding another run in the top of the seventh. Hagedorn once again found his way to second base by way of a double down the right field line. Harvey then singled through the left side, allowing Hagedorn to take home, increasing the Railsplitters lead to 7-5. Lincoln Memorial retired the next three batters in succession to bring the game to the final frame.
The Railsplitters failed to add to their run total in the top of the ninth, allowing the Eagles and opportunity to walk the game off. After the first batter of the inning flew out to third base, Carson-Newman tallied back-to-back hits, leaving the game tying run in scoring position. A 2RBI single through the left side allowed both runners on base to take home and tie the game at 7-7 with two outs. Lincoln Memorial managed to force the third out in the ninth to take the game to extra innings.
Lincoln Memorial scored quickly in the 10th inning when
Archer Wong-Shasteen scored on a wild pitch, seeing Hagedorn advance to second base. Harvey then connected on a two-run shot over the left field wall, the third home run for the Railsplitters in the game, giving Lincoln Memorial a 10-7 lead in the top of the 10th. Carson-Newman then took over on the sticks, seeking to avoid its first home loss of the season in the bottom of the 10th. However, the Railsplitters had other plans. Lincoln Memorial retired the Eagles and secured the 10-7 victory, handing the Eagles their first home loss of the season in extra innings.
The rubber match began a little slower for Lincoln Memorial. The Railsplitters failed to score for four innings, seeing Carson-Newman take a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth after adding a run in the first and third innings. In the bottom of the fourth, the Eagles poured on four runs to take a commanding 6-0 lead. Carson-Newman held the Railsplitters scoreless through the sixth inning, while adding six runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a substantial 12-0 lead. Lincoln Memorial added two runs in the top of the seventh inning, but inevitably fell 12-2, moving to 9-9 on the season with a 4-5 mark in conference play.
