Harrogate, TN -- Lincoln Memorial baseball experienced a difficult afternoon on the diamond as they split a doubleheader against Mars Hill, ultimately dropping their first South Atlantic Conference series of the season. The Railsplitters managed to secure a thrilling walk-off victory in the opening contest before the Lions roared back with a dominant performance in the nightcap to clinch the series two games to one.
The first game was a back and forth affair that saw the Railsplitters overcome an early deficit. After the Lions took a one run lead in the first, Lincoln Memorial responded in the second inning when Alex Kowalski launched a solo home run to left center. Ronny Matti followed later in the frame with an RBI double to score Aaron Hobson, giving the Railsplitters a brief lead. The Lions managed to tie the game in the fourth and eventually took a 3-2 lead in the sixth. Lincoln Memorial surged ahead in the seventh as Gabe Gray drove in a run with a single and later scored alongside Kevin Fernandez, while Brady Morse added an RBI single to make it 6-3.
Drama peaked in the final frames of the opener as the Lions plated a run in the eighth and two more in the ninth to knot the score at 6-6. In the bottom of the ninth, Kevin Fernandez ignited the winning rally with a single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Gabe Gray. Caleb Jordan then delivered the heroics, lining an RBI single to center field to score Fernandez and secure a 7-6 walk-off win. Bradric Helton earned the victory in relief, throwing an inning and two thirds while the Railsplitter offense was led by multi-hit performances from Jordan, Morse, and Matti.
The second game proved much tougher for the Railsplitters as the Lions jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Lincoln Memorial cut the lead in half in the second when CJ Dugan drove in Alex Kowalski on an RBI single, but the Lions broke the game open with a three run fourth inning and a two run fifth. Nick Kaelin provided a spark for the Railsplitters in the fourth with an RBI double to score Peyton Mullannix, and Kowalski drew a bases loaded walk in the fifth to bring the score to 7-3, but the rally stalled there.
Mars Hill added two insurance runs in the seventh to extend their lead to 9-3, effectively putting the game out of reach. Eli Edds took the loss on the mound for the Railsplitters, while the offense struggled to find consistency against the Lions pitching staff. Despite late hits from Caleb Jordan and Brady Morse in the final frame, the Railsplitters could not bridge the gap. Lincoln Memorial will look to bounce back from this first conference series loss as they move forward into the midweek against a very good Lee University squad at Lamar Hennon Field on Tuesday.
