HARROGATE, TN – On a day when the focus of most sports fans was on basketball, the Lincoln Memorial University baseball team hosted the Cougars of Caldwell College and came away with a 4-2 win in nine innings to improve to 17-13-1 on the year.

Early Thursday morning, Lincoln Memorial University announced that it had hired Josh Schertz as its new head men’s basketball coach.  In the early afternoon, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament got underway around the country.  While all this was going on, LMU Head Baseball Coach Jeff Sziksai and his team were preparing for a single nine inning game with Caldwell College who was finishing up their spring break tour through the state of Tennessee.

The Railsplitters wasted little time jumping on the Cougars.  In fact, after holding CC scoreless in the top of the first, LMU took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the inning when Casey Sedley (Miami, FL) homered over the right centerfield fence.

In the top of the second, the Cougars evened the score on an RBI double by Gabriel Molina and a sacrifice fly by Omar Velazquez.  With the score now tied again at 2-2, a sense of urgency came over both teams and the game would remain deadlocked until the bottom of the third inning.

In the bottom of the third it was LMU newcomer Ralph Rosas (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) was broke the tie with a sacrifice fly to left centerfield, scoring teammate Casey Sedley from third.  LMU eventually tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning on an RBI single through the right side by junior designated hitter Jason Pabon (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) while holding the cougars in check for the 4-2 victory.

LMU pitcher Mitch Kramer (Amherstberg, Ontario, Canada) got the win.  Kramer entered the game in relief for starting pitcher Brett Vaughn (Hayesville, NC) in the second inning and pitched 7.1 innings of shutout baseball while allowing the cougars only three hits.  Kramer also had only one walk and recorded eight strikeouts in the outing.

Now 17-13-1 on the year, the Railsplitters travel to Frankfort, Kentucky on Good Friday for a double header with Kentucky State University.  The last time the two teams met, LMU came away with 27-0 and 14-0 wins over the Thorobreds.  Friday’s first pitch is at 1:00 p.m.