Greeneville, TN – Three days after run-ruling the Bluefield State Big Blue at home, the Lincoln Memorial baseball team traveled to Greeneville, TN on Friday for the first game of a three-game weekend series against the Tusculum Pioneers. The Railsplitters entered the soggy series starter with a 21-17 record, including a 10-11 mark in conference play. The Pioneers entered the game with a 15-23 overall record and an 8-13 record in conference play.

Chris Hall connected on a lead-off single to get the game started before Sam Mast singled to move Hall to second. However, Tusculum was able to retire the side, stranding two runners to keep the game knotted at goose eggs heading into the bottom of the first inning. Three successive groundouts saw Lincoln Memorial re-assume the sticks, seeking to break the scoreless tie in the top of the second inning. Brooks Hagedorn was hit by pitch to put a runner on base before Archer Wong-Shasteen singled down the left field line, advancing Hagedorn to third, putting a pair on base with one in scoring position. Hagedorn then took home on a failed pick-off attempt, giving Lincoln Memorial a 1-0 lead. Wong-Shasteen advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Hall then walked in his second at-bat, leaving two runners on base; one in scoring position. Kasten Harvey singled down the left field line to drive in Wong-Shasteen, giving the Railsplitters a 2-0 lead before the Pioneers took over on offense in the bottom of the second. For the second consecutive inning, Tusculum went down in succession with three straight groundouts.  Lincoln Memorial was unable to add to its run total in the third inning, but once again held Tusculum off the board, again with three groundouts. After holding the Railsplitters scoreless in the top of the third inning, the Pioneer bats awoke. Behind one run and a pair of errors, Tusculum took a 4-2 lead after four.

Lincoln Memorial managed a hit in the top of the fifth inning, but were unable to drive in any runs, leaving the score in favor of Tusculum heading into the bottom of the fifth. Much like the fourth inning, the Pioneers' offense managed another four-run inning in the bottom of the fifth behind a quartet of hits and an error to take a 8-2 lead. The Railsplitters failed to stop the bleeding in the sixth inning, failing to chip into the lead, allowing the Pioneers to further extend the lead to 10-2 behind a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth. The score remained 10-2 following a scoreless seventh inning from both sides. The Pioneers held the Railsplitters scoreless in the top of the eighth inning before adding a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 12-2 lead, forcing the game's conclusion by run-rule. Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum will meet for a double-header on Saturday at 2 PM.