Baseball falls in SAC Tourney opener vs LMU

Wingate, N.C. —- The Catawba College baseball team dropped its opening game of the 2023 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Championship on Friday to Lincoln Memorial at Wingate. The Railsplitters improve to 28-16 overall and advance to the winner's bracket, while the Catawba Indians drop to 27-23 and fall to the elimination bracket.

Jackson Price went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored, while Cameron Mills scored twice on a hit and a pair of walks. Ryan Kurth led LMU, going 4-for-5 with a double, a homer, three RBI and a run scored.

The Railsplitters scored four runs in the opening two innings before Catawba got on the board before Harris Jackson and Patrick Hogan recorded back-to-back RBI singles to cut the deficit in half, 4-2, through four innings.

Kurth drove in a run on a single in the fifth, but Cooper Bryson answered with an RBI single with the bases loaded in the sixth. The Railsplitters got out of the inning on the next batter on a double play.

LMU extended its lead back to three runs on a solo home run in the seventh and added insurance with a five-run ninth.

Patrick Queener earned the win for Lincoln Memorial, giving up three runs on eight hits and four walks in six innings of work. Austin Fine got stuck with the loss, allowing three earned runs on six hits and three walks in two innings. Will Shelton picked up the save with three shutout innings.

Catawba will look to stay alive tomorrow, facing the Anderson-Wingate loser at 2:45 p.m. back at Ron Christopher Stadium.