Hickory, NC -- The Lincoln Memorial baseball team traveled to Hickory, North Carolina, this weekend for a pivotal three-game conference series against Lenoir-Rhyne to close out the regular season. With heavy rain forecast for Saturday, the two programs adjusted the schedule to include a doubleheader on Friday. The Railsplitters opened the day with a dominant offensive performance to secure a victory in the first game before the Bears responded with a shutout in the nightcap. The split sets the stage for a high-stakes rubber match on Saturday at 1 PM to determine the series winner.
Lincoln Memorial unleashed a massive offensive attack in the opening game of the doubleheader, racking up 17 runs on 13 hits to defeat the Bears 17-8. After a quiet start in the first two frames, the Railsplitters took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Kevin Fernandez reached on a ground-rule double and later crossed the plate on a wild pitch. The floodgates opened in the fourth as Lincoln Memorial sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring seven runs on just three hits, aided by four walks and a critical fielding error. Peyton Mullannix drove in the first run of the frame with a single, followed by an RBI hit-by-pitch from Fernandez and a run-scoring error during Ayden Jackson's at-bat. Caleb Jordan then delivered a ground-rule double to drive in two, and Alex Kowalski capped the surge with a two-run single to left field.
The Bears clawed back with five runs in the bottom of the fourth and added single runs in the fifth and sixth to trim the Lincoln Memorial lead to 9-8. However, the Railsplitter bullpen provided crucial stability as Lucas Smith earned his eighth win of the season with two innings of relief, and Easton Barnett locked down his third save by throwing three scoreless innings to finish the contest. Lincoln Memorial put the game away late, scoring three runs in the eighth highlighted by a two-run single from Mullannix and an RBI double by CJ Dugan. They added five more insurance runs in the ninth, including a three-run play following an error on a ball hit by Kowalski and an RBI groundout from Mullannix, sealing the nine-run victory.
The momentum shifted entirely in the second game of the afternoon as Lenoir-Rhyne evened the series with an 8-0 shutout. The Railsplitter bats were silenced by the Bears' pitching staff, managing only a single hit from Caleb Jordan in the first inning. Lincoln Memorial struggled to find a rhythm against the host's starter, who retired the final nine batters in order to end the seven-inning contest. Defensive miscues also hampered the Railsplitters in the third inning, where two errors allowed the Bears to jump out to a 4-0 lead.
Adrian Smith took the loss for Lincoln Memorial in game two, allowing four runs—only two of which were earned—over four innings of work. Dylan Maire entered in relief for the final two frames but was touched up for four runs in the sixth inning as the Bears broke the game open. Despite the setback in the second game, Gabe Gray and Ayden Jackson remain focal points for the lineup heading into the finale. The two teams will meet one last time on Saturday afternoon to break the series tie and conclude the regular season slate.
