Harrogate, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial baseball team dropped the opening game of its three-game weekend series against Emory & Henry on Friday night, falling 13-5 in a contest defined by the Wasps' explosive middle innings. While the Railsplitters tallied nine hits on the evening, they were unable to match the offensive pace of the Wasps, who utilized several multi-run frames to pull away. Lincoln Memorial now must sweep Saturday's doubleheader to claim the series victory.
The game remained a scoreless pitcher's duel through the first two innings before Emory & Henry broke the ice in the bottom of the third with an RBI single. Lincoln Memorial responded in the top of the fourth when Luke Lowery singled through the left side to drive home Peyton Mullannix, who had previously walked and stolen second. However, the momentum shifted decisively in the bottom half of the fourth as Emory & Henry exploded for six runs on five hits, including home runs by Lamboy and Rodriguez, to take a 7-1 lead.
Lincoln Memorial attempted to chip away at the deficit in the fifth as Kevin Fernandez singled and later scored on a play where Gabe Gray was caught stealing. After the Wasps added another run in the fifth to make it 8-2, the Railsplitters' offense found a spark in the seventh inning. CJ Dugan and Kevin Fernandez launched back-to-back solo home runs to start the frame, and Peyton Mullannix later added an RBI single to score Gabe Gray, cutting the lead to 8-5. The comeback effort was quickly silenced in the bottom of the seventh when Emory & Henry answered with three runs of their own, highlighted by a two-run home run from Fields.
At the plate, the Railsplitters were led by Gabe Gray and Caleb Jordan, who both finished the night with two hits apiece. Kevin Fernandez also recorded two hits, including his solo blast, and scored twice. CJ Dugan and Luke Lowery each contributed a hit and an RBI, with Dugan's being a solo shot, in the losing effort. On the mound, Payton Armour took the loss after surrendering seven runs on eight hits over three and one-third innings. Easton Barnett provided three and two-thirds innings of relief, striking out four, while Josh Jeffcoat handled the eighth inning.
The two teams will return to the field tomorrow to conclude the series with a doubleheader. The first game of Saturday's twin bill is slated for a 1 PM first pitch, with game two of the doubleheader to follow at approximately 4 PM.
