HARROGATE, Tenn. --- Cameron Bowen scored the tying run in the ninth inning and followed later with a walk-off single in the 10th to lead host Lincoln Memorial to a 4-3 South Atlantic Conference win over Tusculum Friday night at Lamar Hennon Field.
LMU (17-9, 4-6 SAC) captures the series opener as the Railsplitters scored a run in the bottom of the ninth on Collin Coda's sacrifice fly. The first two LMU batters led off the 10th with walks and followed with back-to-back singles including Bowen's RBI single to center to plate the game-winner.
Tusculum (19-11, 8-5 SAC) has lost its last three conference games, all in extra-inning, walk-off fashion.
Lincoln Memorial jumped out to an early 2-0 lead off of TU starting pitcher Luke Absher, plating one run in the first and another in the third. In the bottom of the first, Kasten Harvey had a RBI single while Carson Boles posted a run-scoring double in the third frame.
The Pioneers answered with two runs in the top of the fourth against LMU starter Patrick Queener. Zane Keener led off with an infield single and he scored on Ben Scartz's eighth double of the season. Two outs later, Rudy Fernandez doubled home Scartz to tie the game at 2-2.
Meanwhile, Absher got into a groove and blanked LMU into the eighth inning including a stretch where he retired nine consecutive batters. Queener was equally impressive as he pitched through the seventh inning.
In the top of eighth with Will Shelton on the mound for LMU, Tyler Ranell hit a one-out, solo homer to left field to give Tusculum its first lead of the game at 3-2.
Absher gave up a one-out single to bring in Drew Sliwinski out of the Tusculum bullpen. He would retire the only two batters he would face including a strikeout to end the eighth.
Tusculum looked to add an insurance run in the top of the ninth as Fernandez recorded his third hit of the game and moved to second on Kayl Ratliff's walk. Will Samuelson singled, but LMU leftfielder Gavin Whitehurst threw out Fernandez at plate to keep it a one-run game.
In the bottom of the ninth with TU closer Jacob Willett on the mound, Bowen led off with a walk, moved to second on a single and both runners would advance into scoring position. Jared Hancock was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Coda lifted a fly ball to right field, deep enough to bring in Bowen with the tying run. Willett would get a strikeout to end the inning and send the game into extra innings.
Ranel got aboard with a lead-off single in the 10th, but was stranded at first as Colin Murphy got a pair of fly outs and a strikeout to end the threat.
In the bottom of the 10th, LMU led off with back-to-back walks and a bunt single from Whitehurst loaded the bases for Bowen. He would single to center to bring in Harvey with the game-winner.
Murphy (3-0) picked up the victory, while Willett (3-3) suffered the loss.
Absher went 7.1 innings for Tusculum as he scattered four hits, allowed two runs, walked three and struck out six in his 119-pitch performance. Queener recorded 7.0 innings while allowing two runs on five hits, one walk and accounted for nine strikeouts.
Fernandez went 3-for-4 for the Pioneers while teammates Ranel, Keener and Scartz had two hits apiece. LMU finished with seven hits with Harvey going 2-for-4 for the Railsplitters.
The teams will wrap up the weekend series with Saturday's 1 p.m. doubleheader.
