The SVSU baseball team dropped two of three games to Lincoln Memorial in Harrogate, Tennessee, this past weekend.
The games were SVSU’s final non-conference competition of the season before the Cardinals begins GLIAC play next weekend.
In the final game of the three-game set on Sunday, SVSU was blown out by the Railsplitters 12-1. LMU immediately jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first and added another in the second, two in the fourth, four in the fifth and two in the eighth to round out the scoring.
“Lincoln Memorial was a good hitting team,” head coach Chris Ebright said. “We are a very young team, and the guys are making young mistakes but also learning from them as we go.”
Only nine of Lincoln Memorial’s 12 runs were earned, as SVSU committed three defensive errors in the game. Starting pitcher Brian Feinauer was only able to make it through one inning of work. He walked three batters in the inning. A passed ball and a wild pitch gave LMU two of its three runs in the first inning.
Camden Dice threw three innings of relief for SVSU, allowing three runs on five hits. Tyler Stambaugh, Alex Millhisler (who allowed no runs in two innings of work, striking out three) and Austin Koin worked the final four innings for SVSU.
SVSU’s lone run came in the top of the ninth when Jacob Mansfield reached on a fielder’s choice scoring Brendan Harrison.
Chad Carson added two hits for SVSU, which only came up with seven knocks in the contest, struck out six times, and left nine runners on base.
In Saturday’s second contest, SVSU responded from a series-opening loss to win 6-3.
A Harrison single in the top of the first to score Carson got the Cardinals going behind starting pitcher Trevor Friday.
Friday put together another solid start, going five strong innings, allowing only two hits and two runs.
SVSU added a Jason Clark home run, a Craig Wilson RBI double and another Harrison RBI single to score three more in the third before adding two more in the fourth.
Lincoln Memorial added a run in the bottom of the sixth to make a game of it, but Jake Tarbell picked up his third save of the year by throwing the final 1.2 innings of the contest and allowing no hits and striking out one.
Harrison’s 3-4, two-RBI day led the Cardinals along with Wilson, Clark and Adam Fitzgibbon, who was 2-4 and scored two runs.
“Game two showed what the future of SVSU baseball will be,” Ebright said. “Trevor Friday threw great to go along with our guys making the adjustments in the box and getting to the other team’s bullpen. The win was really big for us. We beat their No. 1 pitcher.”
Shortstop Jordan Swiss also commended Friday’s work on the hill.
“He pitched really well, and Jake Tarbell shut it down in the end like he always does,” he said. “Our offense had big hits to drive in runs to put us ahead, and we stayed ahead.”
The three-game series kicked off with Lincoln Memorial hammering SVSU in an offensive slug-fest, 16-6. A six-run fourth and five-run sixth propelled the Railsplitters, who totaled 19 hits in the contest. SVSU pitcher Scott Sency was roughed up for seven earned runs and 10 hits in four innings of work.
“We just didn’t make some plays that needed to be made, and they capitalized on our mistakes,” Swiss said.
SVSU (6-10) heads to Ohio Dominican next weekend for a four-game set with the Panthers to kickoff GLIAC play.
“The biggest thing to do this week before GLIAC play starts,” Ebright said, “is to keep getting the guys reps and discuss many of the good and bad situations that happened on the field this past weekend.”
