Anderson, SC -- Lincoln Memorial baseball opened its three-game conference series against Anderson University with a resilient performance on the road in Anderson, South Carolina, on Friday, March 6. Despite falling behind early due to defensive miscues, the Railsplitters combined timely hitting with a strong relief appearance from Bradric Helton to secure a hard-fought victory. The win moves Helton to a perfect 3-0 on the season as the LMU pitching staff navigated several high-pressure situations to keep the Trojans at bay.
Anderson took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning when the Trojans reached on a throwing error and later scored on a sacrifice fly. The Railsplitters remained quiet until the third inning when the offense found its rhythm. CJ Dugan ignited the rally with a single to shortstop, followed by a walk to Kevin Fernandez and a single from Gabe Gray to load the bases. Brady Morse then delivered a clutch two-run single to center field, scoring Fernandez and Dugan to give Lincoln Memorial a 2-1 lead.
The Railsplitters extended their advantage in the fourth inning after Alex Kowalski doubled down the left-field line and advanced to third on a groundout. Ronny Matti then drove Kowalski home with a single up the middle, making it 3-1. Anderson answered in the bottom half of the frame, scoring an unearned run following a double and a throwing error. The Trojans then evened the score at 3-3 in the fifth inning when Riley Matthews led off with a solo home run to left field.
The decisive blow came in the top of the eighth inning as Lincoln Memorial's bats surged again. Caleb Jordan and Morse led off with back-to-back singles, setting the stage for Kowalski, who cleared the bases with a two-run single to center field. Dugan added an insurance run later in the inning with an RBI single to right field, scoring Kowalski and pushing the Lincoln Memorial lead to 6-3. Anderson attempted a comeback in the bottom of the eighth, scoring two runs on a fielder's choice and an error, but they could not pull even.
Bradric Helton earned the win after tossing 3.1 innings of relief, allowing only one earned run and striking out two. He worked out of a major jam in the bottom of the ninth after Anderson loaded the bases with only one out. Helton induced a game-ending double play, turned by the shortstop and first baseman, to seal the victory. Lincoln Memorial finished the contest with 11 hits, led by multi-hit performances from Gray, Morse, Kowalski, and Dugan. The two teams will return to the field tomorrow to complete the conference set, with the first game of the doubleheader to start at 1 PM.
