Salisbury, NC -- The Lincoln Memorial baseball season came to a conclusion on Saturday as the Railsplitters fell to Coker University in the SAC Baseball Championship. The contest remained a defensive stalemate through the first two frames before Coker broke the game open in the top of the third inning. After a hit batter and an error allowed the first run to cross, The Cobras delivered a decisive blow with a three run home run to right center field, giving the Coker a lead it would never relinquish.
Lincoln Memorial struggled to find an offensive rhythm against the Coker pitching staff throughout much of the afternoon. The Railsplitters were held hitless through the first five innings as the Cobras added an insurance run in the sixth.. LMU finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth when Peyton Mullannix led off with a double and later scored on an RBI single from Gabe Gray. However, that would account for the entirety of the Railsplitter offense as the team finished the day with only three hits.
The top of the seventh inning proved to be the final undoing for Lincoln Memorial as Coker exploded for six runs to put the game out of reach. The Cobras used five hits and a hit batter in the frame to extend their advantage to double digits. The Railsplitters attempted a late spark in the bottom of the seventh with a double by Alex Kowalski, but a pop out ended the threat and the contest due to the tournament run rule.
Lucas Smith took the loss on the mound for the Railsplitters, pitching four and a third innings while allowing four runs, though only three were earned. He was followed by a rotation of Easton Barnett, Merrick Graham, Bradric Helton, and Eli Edds out of the bullpen.
