Harrogate, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial baseball team enjoyed a successful Saturday at Lamar Hennon Field on Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader against Tusculum University to improve their standing in the South Atlantic Conference. The Railsplitters entered the afternoon with a 20-11 overall record and a 12-6 mark in league play, while the visiting Pioneers arrived with an 11-19 overall record and a 5-13 conference standing. Lincoln Memorial utilized a dramatic extra-inning comeback to secure the opener before breaking out for a massive inning to pull away in the nightcap.
In the first contest, the Railsplitters claimed a 10-9 victory in 11 innings following a marathon battle that saw multiple lead changes. Lincoln Memorial jumped out to an early lead in the first inning when Peyton Mullannix drove in Gabe Gray with a groundout and Alex Kowalski followed with an RBI single. Gray added to the cushion in the second with an RBI double to score Ronny Matti, but Tusculum responded with four runs over the next two frames to take a 4-3 lead. After the Pioneers added another run in the fifth, the Railsplitters surged back in the sixth as Ayden Jackson drove in a run on a fielder's choice and two more runs crossed the plate via an error and a Gray RBI single.
The back-and-forth affair continued as Josh Marmo and Matti delivered RBI hits in the seventh to push the lead to 8-5. However, Tusculum refused to go away, scoring once in the eighth and twice in the ninth to force extra innings. After the Pioneers took a 9-8 lead in the top of the 10th, Caleb Jordan tied the game in the bottom half with a clutch RBI single to score Gray. In the bottom of the 11th, Matti and Jackson both singled before Kevin Fernandez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Gray then took a pitch to the body, recording the walk-off RBI hit-by-pitch to end the game. Matti finished the opener 4 for 6, while Gray went 4 for 5 with three runs scored and three runs batted in. Lucas Smith earned the win in relief, striking out three over two innings of work.
The second game of the day saw the Railsplitters complete the sweep with a 9-2 victory, fueled by a seven-run explosion in the sixth inning. Lincoln Memorial took a 1-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly from Marmo that scored Mullannix, who had earlier tripled. Brady Morse extended the lead to 2-0 in the third with an RBI single to score Gray. After the Pioneers cut the deficit in half in the fifth, the Railsplitters blew the game open in the sixth. The rally began with an RBI single from Fernandez, followed by an RBI triple from Gray. Jordan and Mullannix followed with consecutive RBI singles, and the lead grew further thanks to run-scoring plays from Kowalski, CJ Dugan, and Nick Kaelin.
Eli Edds provided a strong start on the mound for the Railsplitters to secure the win, tossing 6.2 innings and allowing just two runs on five hits while striking out seven. Gray remained hot at the plate in the second game, going 3 for 4 with two runs scored, while Jordan and Mullannix each collected two hits. The Railsplitters out-hit the Pioneers 12-5 in the finale, showcasing a balanced offensive attack that saw nine different players record a hit.
