GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Chris Hall went 5-for-6 with RBI to lead the Lincoln Memorial University baseball team to a 10-3 South Atlantic Conference win at Tusculum University Friday night at Pioneer Park.
The Railsplitters (9-7, 1-0 SAC) compiled 13 hits, eight walks, two hit batsmen and took advantage of four Tusculum errors.
LMU starter Patrick Queener picked up the victory as he went five innings, allowed three runs on four hits, three walks and six strikeouts. The pitching quartet of Ryan Franklin, Mason Turner, Brennan Murphy and Kasten Harvey shut out the Pioneers (8-8, 0-4 SAC) for the final four innings, while scattering one hit and two walks in taking the series opener.
LMU plated three runs in the first inning as Hall hit a soft dribbler down the third base line which bounced off the base and away from third baseman Christian Ortega. Hall legged it out for a lead-off double. TU starter Harbor Jefferson hit the next two batters to load the bases and Ryan Kurth drew a walk to bring home the game's first run. After a strikeout of Kevin McCarthy, Harvey hit a sacrifice fly to deep center field to bring home Cameron Bowen and moved Carson Boles over to third base. A failed pickoff attempt at first base allowed the run to score to make is a 3-0 game.
The Pioneers got on the board in the third inning as Blaze McCauley led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Williams and later scored on Wes Reynolds' RBI single. Zane Keener, who drew a walk after Williams' bunt, moved to third on Reynolds base hit. He would score the second run of the frame on a wild pitch and make it a 3-2 contest.
LMU responded with four runs in the top of the fourth inning thanks to a two-run single by Hall and a two-run homer by Bowen. Tusculum got a run back in the bottom of the frame as Will Samuelson led off with a double, moved to third on a Zach Wilson ground out and later scored on a wild pitch.
LMU added a run in the fifth and two more tallies in the seventh to cap the scoring for the Railsplitters
Bowen finished the game going 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, while catcher Sam Mast also went 3-for-5 while scoring twice.
Jefferson (3-2) suffered the loss as he went 3.1 innings, allowed six hits, seven runs, six earned, walked two and struck out three.
TU southpaw Drew Miller scattered three hits in his 2.2 shutout innings out of the bullpen in his 56-pitch performance.
The two teams will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
