Anderson, SC -- The Lincoln Memorial baseball team turned in a phenomenal Saturday on the diamond, sweeping a doubleheader against Anderson University to secure a three-game series victory in South Atlantic Conference play. After clinching the series opener on Friday with a narrow 6-5 win, the Railsplitters returned to the field to take the first game of the twin bill 8-6 before exploding offensively in a 14-8 nightcap victory. The weekend performance marks the first series sweep of the season for Lincoln Memorial and represents their third series win out of four played this year. The pair of victories also extended the team's current winning streak to four games.
In the first game of the Saturday doubleheader, Lincoln Memorial relied on a massive sixth-inning surge to overcome an early deficit. Trailing 3-2 heading into the frame, the Railsplitters batted around and plated six runs on seven hits. The rally featured run-scoring singles from Alex Kowalski, Ronny Matti, Kevin Fernandez, and Brady Morse, alongside a sacrifice fly from Caleb Jordan. Anderson attempted a comeback in the seventh inning with a two-run home run by Braeden Harrison and an RBI double from Myles Denton, but the Lincoln Memorial bullpen held firm to preserve the 8-6 win.
The offensive effort in the opener was led by Matti and Fernandez, who both recorded three hits and an RBI. Gray, Morse, and Peyton Mullannix each contributed two hits to the fourteen-hit attack, with Morse and Caleb Jordan finishing the contest with two RBIs apiece. On the mound, Adrian Smith earned the win after pitching six solid innings, allowing only one earned run while striking out two. Easton Barnett entered in the seventh and threw two and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief to earn his second save of the season.
Lincoln Memorial carried that momentum into the second game of the day, producing a season-high fourteen runs to complete the sweep. The defining moment came in the sixth inning when the Railsplitters scored nine runs to turn a tight 4-3 lead into a dominant 13-3 advantage. The outburst was highlighted by a two-run triple from Morse, a two-run single by Gray, and run-scoring doubles from Jordan and Brooks Hagedorn. Despite a late push by the Trojans that saw them score five runs over the final two innings, the deficit proved too large to overcome.
The box score for the finale reflected a total team effort, as Gray and Jordan each turned in four-hit performances and drove in three runs. Nick Kaelin was also vital to the offensive production, finishing 3-for-4 and scoring three times, while Hagedorn added two hits and two RBIs. Eli Edds earned the victory on the mound, providing four and two-thirds innings of work and racking up nine strikeouts. Following this successful conference road trip, the Railsplitters will look to maintain their winning momentum as they move deeper into the South Atlantic Conference schedule at home against Coker next weekend.
