Harrogate, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial baseball team utilized a dominant pitching performance and a late offensive surge to defeat Bluefield State 12-2 in a run-rule victory on Tuesday. The Railsplitters relied on a commanding start from Adrian Smith, who earned his first win of the season by striking out 10 batters over six innings of work. Smith surrendered only two runs on five hits, keeping the Bluefield State hitters off balance for the duration of his outing. Easton Barnett and Lucas Smith provided scoreless relief in the final frames to seal the win as the Lincoln Memorial defense remained error-free throughout the contest.
The Railsplitters offense began to find its rhythm in the third inning when Brady Morse singled to center field to drive in Ford Hallock for the first run of the game. CJ Dugan followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 2-0. After Bluefield State cut the deficit with a solo home run in the fifth, Peyton Mullannix responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot of his own to left field. The lead grew in the sixth inning behind a Caleb Jordan RBI single and a fielder's choice from Gabe Gray that allowed Nick Kaelin to cross the plate.
Lincoln Memorial broke the game open in the seventh inning by scoring four runs on just one hit. After Brooks Hagedorn and Dugan walked to start the frame, Hallock reached on an error that allowed two runners to score. Jordan then delivered the biggest blow of the afternoon with a two-run triple to center field. Gray added a sacrifice fly to drive in Jordan, pushing the lead to 9-2. The Railsplitters closed out the game in the eighth inning, adding the final three runs necessary to trigger the run-rule, improving to 3-5 on the season, claiming the last two games as victories.
Several Railsplitters turned in multi-hit performances, led by Caleb Jordan and Aaron Hobson who each finished with two hits. Jordan was a primary catalyst for the offense, recording three runs batted in and a triple. Dugan and Hallock also contributed significantly to the scoring effort with two runs batted in apiece. Hagedorn showed great discipline at the plate by drawing three of the team's nine walks and scoring twice.
Lincoln Memorial will look to carry the momentum from this non-conference victories into its upcoming schedule. The Railsplitters are set to open conference play this weekend with a highly anticipated series against Carson-Newman, beginning Friday.
