HARROGATE, Tenn. — Gabe Gray sparked big inning with his two-run single as Lincoln Memorial defeated visiting Tusculum 6-3 Sunday afternoon at Lamar Hennon Field.
The Railsplitters (22-11, 14-6 SAC) complete the weekend sweep over the Pioneers (11-21, 5-15 SAC) as LMU is riding a five-game winning streak.
The first three Railsplitters got aboard in the third inning to set the table for Gray who answered with a two-run single to right field. LMU would score two more times in the inning to take a 4-0 lead.
TU chipped away at the deficit scoring a run each in the fourth and fifth frames. In the fourth, Alejandro Ponte hit a solo homer and in the fifth, Evan Goins drew a one-out walk and later scored on a wild pitch as Tusculum trailed 4-2.
In the bottom of the fifth, Gray led off with a solo homer and later in the frame, Alex Kowalski hit a RBI double as LMU extended the lead to 6-2.
TU’s Jake Smith led off the eighth with a double and moved to third on Landon Dockery‘s base hit. Pinch-hitter Conner Jurek bunted Smith in from third for the first out of the inning. With Dockery at second, LMU went to the bullpen with closer Bradrick Helton, who got the final two outs of the inning with a strikeout and a flyout.
Tusculum mounted a two-out rally in the ninth when Goins got aboard with a single and Jake Absher reached on an error. But Helton would get the final out of the game on a fly out.
LMU starter Adrian Smith (3-2) picked up the victory as he went five innings, allowed two runs on three hits, two walks and a strikeout. TU starter Walker Pedante suffered the loss as he went six innings, allowed six hits, four runs, three walks and six strikeouts.
LMU’s Ronny Matti went 3-for-3, while Gray tallied a pair of hits and three RBI in the win.
Tusculum returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to nationally-ranked Young Harris for a 4 p.m. contest against the Mountain Lions.
